Please, Don't Touch Me...

I saw this post by Corrine over at skinnedcartree and it got me thinking...

For as long as I can remember, I've had a problem with people touching me. It makes me uncomfortable and I squirm away. I've noticed it upsets people sometimes, especially my niece (Bug) because she tries to hug me and I don't want her to touch me.

I think I know what it stems from, but I'm not ready to go into all the gory details. Just know, something happened in my past that gave me an aversion to touch.

I don't always hate to be touched. Sometimes I don't mind when Bug leans on me or if my mom wants a hug. But when my parents used to make me hug relatives, especially ones I didn't know well, I was uncomfortable. I hated it.

No one seems to understand what boundaries shouldn't be crossed. There is no need to force a child to hug, or worse kiss, someone they don't want to. It sets a bad precedent that their needs aren't important. And it crosses the threshold of what makes them comfortable.

How would you feel if some strange person came up and demanded a hug and kiss? You wouldn't like it. Even if that person is family, you still don't force someone (especially a child) to have physical contact with them. It isn't helpful and can sometimes even be hurtful.

But honestly, I don't get what's so hard to understand. I said no. Please don't touch me. Why would you continue to try? Especially when I am physically moving away from you?

Even if you're family, and especially if you're a stranger, just please, don't touch me.