Explaining to a five-year-old why another child may not like to be hugged can be difficult, but he needs to learn respect for other kids' boundaries so they don't start to avoid or shun him. Don't make him feel badly about this. Advise him that he can tell other kids in words that he likes them, as opposed to always hugging or "hanging on" them. In this way, you don't ask him to surrender his natural inclination to be affectionate to kids, you ask him to change how he shows his affection. Again, eliminating these behaviors is not the immediate aim here -- although your term, "hanging on," sounds like it would annoy kids -- but, rather, lessening its frequency. Perhaps a little hug or arm around a child's shoulder when meeting and leaving them might be a place to start.
Affectionate Five-Year-Old
Carleton Kendrick has been in private practice as a family therapist and has worked as a consultant for more than 20 years. He has conducted parenting seminars on topics ranging from how to discipline toddlers to how to stay connected with teenagers. Kendrick has appeared as an expert on national broadcast media such as CBS, Fox Television Network, Cable News Network, CNBC, PBS, and National Public Radio. In addition, he's been quoted in the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, USA Today, Reader's Digest, BusinessWeek, Good Housekeeping, Woman's Day, and many other publications.
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