Mother teaches two sons an important lesson about consent through a game and it's ingenious

Having difficult conversations with children is a crucial part of parenting. Concepts like boundaries and consent need to be taught to children so they can function as individuals who can defend themselves in the world. These concepts also ensure they do not put anyone else in an uncomfortable position. It is because of these reasons that Kelsey Pomeroy–who goes by @kelsewhatelse on Instagram–has decided to teach her young boys about consent through a play. For children, the most appealing way to learn anything is through games. Involving games in teaching about consent makes children more enthusiastic and accepting of the lesson.

The video features Pomeroy teaching her sons how consent can be given both verbally and through body language. It is a crucial lesson that many individuals fail to grasp. They believe that a rejection only happens when the words "No" are clearly said. There are situations where verbal communication is not possible. In any way, a person who shows disinterest should be taken as a clear rejection. The mother of two began the video by giving clear instructions on how to play this game. 

"You're going to come in like you want to give me a hug. And I'm either going to say Yes or No," Pomeroy said. "But I am not going to talk with my words. I am going to talk with my body so that we can all read and understand body language." This game would involve one of her boys coming towards her for a hug and they would have to guess whether she is saying "Yes" to the hug or "No." To make the guess, they would have to analyze their mother's body language. The first boy stepped up and went in for a hug. Pomeroy welcomed him with open arms. After letting go, she asked him, "What did the body language tell you" and he replied with a "Yes." This portion teaches how an individual giving consent to be interacted with looks like to others. 

The next portion has the boy again coming in for a hug. But this time, the mother is firmly turned to the side, showing no affection in her body language. The mother explained, "I said no with my body." In the text overlay, she went on to give further information about this game. She wrote, "We reverse the role so he can practice protecting his own body too. We also practice using our voice to say, 'no,' 'stop' and 'I don't like that.'" She ended the game by appreciating her son and said, "You are very good at reading body language." The woman further asked him to involve his lessons in his real-life interaction with his friends.

The comments section loved this effort. @uncagedsparrow shared her opinion that such exercise will improve the future for better and wrote, "As the mom of 2 girls, I cried watching this, thinking of the future respectful men my girls will get to interact with because of awesome moms like you. Thank you!" @rachelbsewell commented on what she teaches her children, "This is so good! I've told my older child to look at other kids' faces to tell if they're having fun, but I want to try this game ASAP with my toddler and elementary kid. Thank you!"

Seeing the reactions to the video, Pomeroy made two other follow-up clips In the second part, she explained to her sons the other messages that can be read from body language. If a kid in the playground is sitting alone and sad, it might mean they want to play with others and have no companion. In such cases, the boys must extend a hand of friendship. She also taught them how to vocally express their consent. In the third part, she talks about enthusiastic consent. This kind of consent has both verbal and physical reactions in tandem.