A parent has turned to The Washington Post's advice column, Asking Eric, for guidance on a family friend who insists on hugging their children even after the parents have said no, according to the newspaper. The column, published on Saturday, October 31, 2026, takes up the question of how to handle a friend who keeps pressing for physical affection that the parents have already declined.
The Post's summary of the column frames the situation as a conflict between a longstanding family friendship and the parents' stated wishes about their children. The parents have objected to the hugging, but the friend has continued to demand it, according to the newspaper.
The item is the latest in the Asking Eric column, which responds to readers' personal and interpersonal questions. In this case, the dilemma centers on how a family can hold a boundary with someone close to them without severing the relationship.
The Post has not made the full text of the column available in the summary accompanying the headline, so the specific advice offered to the parent is not detailed here.
Readers following the column can look to the full Post piece for the columnist's recommended approach, and for how the newspaper suggests families navigate disagreements with friends over physical boundaries involving children.
