The quote “The times they are a-changin’,” is making more sense now than it ever made. Earlier, people had a tough time adjusting to gay rights (barely existent but slowly gaining traction). But today, it’s the importance of affirmative consent that people are still coming to grips with.
We often hear the term “no means no“, but do we discuss consent openly? Fortunately, parents and elementary school teachers are trying to teach kids—very curious little creatures—that consent is much more than a verbal agreement.
It’s something they should pay attention to and notice when they’re a bit older and swarming with hormones. The problem: not every adult views consent as important of a topic as you might think.
A parent shares a story on ‘Am I The [Jerk]‘. This concerned parent talked to their 9-year-old son that it’s not okay to touch other kids, especially those of opposite gender, without first asking for their permission. But they learned this the hard way after being accused of blowing “innocent playground fun” out of proportion.
Wishing to learn what other parents have to say about this, the author turned to the trusted ‘Am I The [Jerk]’ community to seek perspective.
Teaching children about the importance of others’ personal space is an important part of parenting
After being blamed for blowing “innocent playground fun” out of proportion, this parent shared their story with the ‘AITA’ community
People were unanimous in reassuring this parent that they are doing everything just fine
In the end, the author didn’t expect their story to receive so much attention and thanked everyone for their say
