One mom decided to start having an important conversation regarding consent and body autonomy with her toddler. How? During his diaper changes.
Alissa, a 32-year-old mom of two from Chicago, swears by the practice and recently shared it with the world via TikTok to her account, once.upon.a.mama.
In a clip posted on April 16, Alissa shared how diaper changes have become a perfect way for her to teach her son about body autonomy, or, the right a person has to govern their own body.
“Young toddlers and babies cannot consent to diaper changes, but they must be done as a necessary care task,” Alissa said. “So I interact with my son as I change him and explain what I’m doing as I do it, so he at least feels part of the process.”
In addition, she also shares to do this in a way where it feels both right for mom and kiddo.
Just like in her clip, Alissa first says to explain what you are doing and then from there, interact with your toddler by light conversation, singing songs, and/or asking questions.
But at the most important part of this process? According to the mom, it is to pay attention to whether they fight the diaper change.
While most kids do this and according to Alissa, she suggests calmly explaining why you must change them so they begin to see the logic behind it. In addition, she also likes to give her toddler a choice, such as: “would you like to be changed now or in 5 minutes?”
The mom alleges this gives them a feeling of control over what’s happening to their body and when it happens — which helps them feel empowered!
The TikTok video has received millions of views since it was posted to social media with plenty of comments surrounding the practice.
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One user praised the mama, commenting: “Omg I do this all naturally, I feel like I’m at least doing something right now.”
Followed by: “Love this!!”
While others, disagreed, commenting: “I think you need psychological help. This is ridiculous.”
What do YOU think? Be sure to comment below!