Our Bodies Belong to Us---Do Young Children’s Belong to Them?- from Mothers’ Perspectives

• In Event: Parenting and children's socioemotional wellbeing

Abstract

Young children’s understanding of autonomy related to their body and touch has received relatively little attention in the developmental sciences even though children's understanding of basic principles related to their identity start to take shape during this period (Cekaite, 2016). Bodily autonomy is an important basis for exploring boundary forming and comfortability with touch interactions. Addressing this gap in the literature on early socialization around bodily autonomy can help inform efforts to develop a lifespan curriculum around consent, so that children learn about bodily autonomy and consent in a developmentally appropriate way. Informed by symbolic interactionism and feminist theory, this qualitative study incorporated both focus groups and semi-structured interviews with 21 mothers of young children ages 2 to 5 to examine their perspectives on bodily autonomy in early childhood. The study’s findings reflected mothers’ experiences, perspectives, beliefs, parenting philosophies and behaviors related to the following five themes: (1) Maternal Bodily Autonomy Socialization, (2) Connection Between Mothers’ and Children’s Socialization Experiences, (3) Children’s Bodily Autonomy Socialization, (4) Maternal Advocacy, and (5) Complexity of Violation.

Ultimately, all of the mothers in the study were pro-bodily autonomy and acknowledged the importance of children being given choice. At the same time, there was considerable diversity in the experiences that shaped mothers’ perspectives and the socialization strategies they used with their children, suggesting there is no one size fits all model for socializing children about bodily autonomy, affection, touch, and consent. Key findings according to the themes emphasized the importance of how mothers’ past experiences impact their present socialization strategies with their children, and how their personal resocialization contributes to how they advocate for their children and view the vast context of bodily autonomy socialization (see Figure 1). Therefore, most mothers’ reflections suggest they adapt how they socialize children according to child factors such as their temperament, personality, and comfortability with touch interactions. These results reveal a variety of strategies that parents and caregivers may use listed in Figure 2. This study provides an initial empirical basis for conceptualizing ways to support and develop young toddler and preschool aged children’s bodily autonomy and represents a starting point in helping parents, families, educators, children, and the public understand the importance of pro-bodily autonomy socialization in a world where this is not yet widely appreciated or recognized.

Authors

• Ireti Aderayo Adegbesan, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  Presenting Author

• Danielle A Crosby, University of North Carolina at Greensboro