My cousin tried to push her grandkids (6 year old girl and 5 year old boy ) to come hug / kiss me. It was obvious they didn't want to. I told her (and them) "Hey, back off of them, they don't want to and, that's OK.. don't push them."

It made me feel uncomfortable as well since I was forced to "go hug your huge scary buxom aunt who will smother you in her bosom for 30 seconds" (no, they didn't say it like that) but that's what it was.

P.S. Now my cousin's grandkids have warmed to me, and now that they are a bit older they come and hug me on their own when I see them!

I try to be aware of my kids feelings and not force shit

My parents never hugged or kissed me or my brothers and had never shown any affection. EVER!!! We were never expected or forced to hug or kiss relatives or friends, because my parents didn’t do that either. However, my aunts and cousins are very European, having lived in Europe for a long time or been born there. I always had/have to endure the double cheek kiss.

With my OCD, I find hugging or touching people difficult. When I started to date, in my 20s, I had a hard time with holding hands even. Now if I feel really comfortable with someone and choose to be intimate, I can be very touchy feely. My friends and coworkers know not to hug me though. They never force me, knowing how I feel about being touched.

Yes I was and I didn't like it! I never forced my children to do that, if they wanted to hug relatives that was up to them and coming from their own natural feelings.

Wasn't and never made my kids. It's gross. When my kids were younger it seemed to offend many people that they didn't.

Yes I was forced to and no I did not force my children to. There was an incident at the store where an elderly kept trying to talk to my son who did not respond. She said something about rudeness and I immediately told her that my son had been taught not to talk to strangers and reminded her that she was a stranger.

My youngest grandson has an aversion to hugging to me. Unsure if he is like that with everyone but my daughter in law tries to coax him into it but I always take his side. He is willing to fist bump so that is what we do.

Yeah, my mom was big on that shit. Not good.

i never was. i still kiss my mom and my one aunt with a peck on the lips, my dad with a peck on the cheek. most of my family is so estranged that if we get together it's so awkward even a hug seems innapropriate.

My daughter doesn't force my grand girls to kiss or hug anyone...I like that. I didn't force my kids to do anything like that either and I also made sure they knew how to refuse anything inappropriate. For example, when my girl was a preschooler, we went into a convenience store for water and an old man approached her with a quarter he insisted she accept because she was so pretty. Wow. I politely refused and made sure my daughter understood what was wrong about that situation (oh so much).

Good question. My family were not, and are not huggers. It still feels creepy and forced, to me. Never forced my kids to hug anyone, usually helped deflect such awkward moments. Our hugs are earned, not given away

I don't remember, but I doubt either that I was forced to kiss relatives, or that I forced my kids to do it, since we're all a bit headstrong and rebellious at times.

But it's a very bad idea to teach kids to accept unwanted physical touching from adults. Ever.
Or to be mindlessly obedient to them.

My brothers kept teasing me during a long trip to our grandmother: "...and when we get there you'll have to kiss granny!" they said with a nasty chuckle.
I loathed that grandmother and our disaffection was as passionate as it was mutual.
I really don't remember whether this was just my brothers' evil invention or whether my parents had told me to drink the poisoned chalice.
I only remember that one occasion but it was enough to cure me. I never forced my children. They made their own decisions as children. Usually they only kissed members of one particular circle of friends.

If my kids don't want to hug someone then they don't have to. It has never been an issue as our families on both sides are very loving.

Yes. A minor scene ensued when, after I initailly shied from hugging my grandfather, my aunt aggressively, publicly "encouraged" me to do so--and I twisted and ducked from her steering arms and ran away. I was twelve. My grandfather was a psychologically and verbally abusive drunk whom I had earlier witnessed kicking my brother.

I'll never forget the feeling that my "no" was given no heed whatsoever--rather it was met with tacit shaming. I wanted my hugs to be mine to give, for my reasons, if and when I felt like it. I found out this was not the case, and it was devastating.

I felt sick to my stomach a year or so ago when a woman forced her reluctant toddler to hug me. I didn't want to contradict her (because my sense of her personality was that she'd only dig in her heels and push harder), so I held open my arms for the tyke and silently apologized. I feel bad for any kid whose autonomy isn't respected.

Absolutely not!

No one made us. Mom would announce we were leaving and we'd make the rounds hugging everyone goodbye. We're just a very huggy family. We were never forced and I would never force a kid to hug people they didn't want to.

I never did this to my children but i was made to kiss relations whenever they said 'come here and give us a kiss!'

I grew up hugging and all family members. That has expanded to include close friends. It was natural growing up. I can remember my (now) ex-wife thinking it was a bit creepy for some reason... She barely waved goodbye to her family. Once I knew her family well enough, I gave them a hug for hello and goodbye also. My ex would just stand by the door as I did this. Gradually, she started this and has grown closer to her family over the years.

I don't recall ever being prompted to do this... But all my family members do it.

It happened a bit when I was a kid, but my parents were pretty cool about that sort of thing, so not too much. Mostly with grandparents. But for my daughter, I made it very clear very early and often that she is under no obligation to be physical or affectionate toward anyone, even me. I say, 'can I have a hug?', not 'give me a hug'. The little mannerisms reinforce the big talks, and I try to stay consistent on that as much as possible.

Yea I was but I've always marched to the beat of my own drum. If i didnt want to hug or kiss a person I wouldnt no matter how much coaxing or how "bad" it looked. My poor parents with their rude ass son LOL. To this day I still don't believe in forcing children to do these type of things.

My kids only hugged people that they felt afection. for..

I remember one person in particular, Great Aunt Tess swooping down for my Xmas hug, christ she was scary. An unmarried, wiry woman in her 60s, formerly the headmistress of an all boys school in the east End of London. Femme Formidable

We didn't kiss at all as a family, and only hugged in the immediate family. We still all do this, but I think it's mostly because my family is spread out, and only see each other infrequently. I love showing my family affection with a hearty hug, and it is reciprocated. If it was not, I wouldn't do it. I won't force my eventual children to do it. I think, for us, there was no breakage in the family roles. My parents only ever acted like caring nurturing people, and my siblings are good natured, so we never dealt with any kind of abuse, physically or sexually. I think this is why hugging my mom, dad, brother, or sister, is totally natural and comforting to us.

Yes I was, being raised Latin it happens. No I don't support it.
My children have their own body autonomy and it is up to them if they feel like they would like to hug or kiss anyone.

Only up until 5 or 6, can't say forced to more like asked to.
Didn't do it when my daughter was young.