A sex education expert has claimed that parents should not make their reluctant adolescent kids kiss relatives forcefully as it makes it difficult for them to distinguish between the lines of consent.
The controversial suggestion was made by Lucy Emmerson, co-coordinator of the Sex Education Forum, in their e-magazine, the Daily Star reported.
Emmerson told a UK publication that intervening may be awkward, but it is actually necessary while teaching children that their bodies are their own and that their instincts should be followed.
She said that if we can't manage to create a culture of consent for everyday physical contact, it will surely be a tall order for sexual situations.
Emmerson suggested that a high-five, a hug, blowing a kiss or a wave could be more appropriate alternatives.
However, Emmerson's suggestion has come under fire by many critics who believe that children know the difference between situations.
Director of the Family Education Trust, Norman Wells, said that the youth is able to recognise that there is a huge difference between self-consciously - and perhaps on occasion reluctantly - kissing an uncle or aunt on the cheek and accepting unwanted sexual advances on the other.
Another critic Margaret Morrissey, of family campaign group Parents Outloud, said that the Sex Education Forum is trying to take any kind of human feeling and kindness out of the way we bring up children and that's really sad.
