ThisChristmas, Santa Claus is spreading the joy of consent.
Over the weekend, Florida momKatie Lovetook her daughter Adley, 3, to visit Santa Claus at the Ritz Carlton holiday party in Miami. But when it came time for the toddler to sit down on Santa’s lap, she learned a valuable lesson from the jolly old man.
In a video posted toher TikTok account, Love recorded the interaction between her daughter and Santa Claus, sharing that Adley had said she didn’t want to sit on Santa’s lap.
“I said this is her body and she’s in control of her body,” Santa Claus said in the video.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“I asked if she wanted to sit on my lap and she said no. And I said, ‘Way to stand up for yourself and way to say what you believe is true.’ You can’t let even Santa Claus, if Santa Claus says you want to sit on my lap, if you don’t want to, you say no!”
Adley stands to the right of Santa, who has his arm around her as he instills the important life lesson. “This response was 🔥 Thank you Santa for respecting my daughter’s choice & even applauding her for it! 🎄🎅🏻,” Love wrote in the caption of her video.
Love tells PEOPLE that although Adley had met Santa last year, her daughter wasn’t as aware of stranger danger at the time.
Katie Loves Social/TikTok
“I told her before we got in line that she didn’t have to sit on his lap if she didn’t want to,” she says to PEOPLE. “We always reinforce at home that it’s her choice whether she wants to hug or kiss someone, even if it’s family!”
“Growing up, I was always taught to be polite and do as your told and I want my daughter to feel complete control over her body. She doesn’t need to push through being uncomfortable to make someone else comfortable. She has the power to say NO.”
The proud mom also notes that the Santa Claus in her video, who is also a reverend, reached out to her on TikTok, telling her that the video had made him cry. “I keep a journal after every event. That night, I said the most valuable thing I did was speak to your daughter,” he told Love.
“I felt like it was the reason I was there. It made the time worthwhile to me,” he said.
Santa with Adley in Miami.Katie Loves Social/TikTok
source: people.com
