Girl Scouts warned over ‘thank you’ hugs

A ROW over political correctness erupted as The Girl Scouts of America warned parents not to encourage their daughters to hug relatives who give them presents at Christmas.

The organisation suggested that, if young girls were told to hug aunts and uncles, they might later in life feel they “owed” physical affection to someone who bought them dinner. One expert accused the group of risking “a mass hysteria about physical contact with loved ones”.

The Girl Scouts’ advice to parents was titled “Reminder: She Doesn’t Owe Anyone a Hug. Not Even at the Holidays”. Instead of hugs it suggested parents should tell their daughters they could thank relatives with a smile or an air kiss. In a statement the organisation said: “There are many other ways to show appreciation, thankfulness, and love that don’t require physical contact.”

Dr Janet Taylor, a New York psychiatrist, warned against “mass hysteria” and said it was important not to make children “afraid of who they should not be afraid of ”.