The Girl Scouts of America have put out a controversial Christmas message: don't force your children to hug or kiss their relatives.
Their argument is, just because it's Christmas kids shouldn't have to embrace their relatives if they don't feel comfortable doing so.
The principal the Girl Scouts are standing by is one of consent, in particular the rights of children over their own bodies.
Dave Atkinson from Kiwi parenting support organisation Parenting Place, thinks it's not such an unreasonable idea.
"Really the question for this is, is hugging your rellys at Christmas one of those battles, or is it one of those things where you go 'actually, this child in this situation, I'm going to respect they're uncomfortable'," Mr Atkinson said.
"One of the really important things for any parent is to keep their children safe, and their bodies, it's so important to know they have a right to say no, that they have the right to be comfortable with what happens to their body.
"And this is a grey area. There are going to be times when you say 'this is your Grandma'.
"There are other ways to show gratitude other than giving a hug or a kiss. It could be sitting down beside them, it could be saying thankyou."
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