As parents we have a tendency to set boundaries for our children. We do this because we want the best for them. Often we set them as a form of protection. But it is always out of love for our children that we set them. However, do our children know and understand how to respect the boundaries of other people? Do they understand how to set their own boundaries with others? And do they know how to do all of this without offending anyone?

Learning to respect the boundaries and personal space of other people has been a long and drawn out battle with my son. He tends to want to be loving to everyone and doesn’t always understand that not everyone likes the constant physical contact, and that at times it is not appropriate. But yesterday found him on the other side of the fence as a younger girl tried to initiate a display of affection that he was not comfortable with. Her mother made her apologize to him.

I find myself in the unique position of saying,”See,that is what I am talking about. That is how other people feel when you do this or that.” But I also feel empathy for him. Aggressive members of the opposite sex aren’t always fun to deal with, especially when you are just 11 years old. So what is the answer to teaching your child respect for boundaries? I am sure it will be an ever changing answer as he grows and continues to learn and as I grow and learn in this journey called parenthood.

Photo by Genevieve Cooper