Santa impersonator goes viral after discussing consent with a three-year-old girl when she refuses to sit on his knee

He is famous for teaching kids about behaving all year round, but now it seems that the jolly man in the big red suit is teaching them about consent.

In a viral video shared to TikTok, Florida-based mom Katie Love showed her three-year-old daughter, Adley, taking a festive picture with her local Santa at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne in Miami.

Usually, kids will sit on Father Christmas' lap for the snaps, however Adley had a different idea - telling him a firm 'no' when he asked the toddler if she wanted to perch on his knee.

Instead, the toddler stood next to the Santa - and his reaction is going viral.

Florida-based mom Katie Love showed three-year-old daughter Adley (pictured) taking a festive picture with her local Santa at the Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne in Miami - but she didn't to sit on his lap

Usually, kids will sit in the lap of a Santa for the snaps, however Adley had a different idea - telling him a firm 'no' when he asked the toddler if she wanted to perch on his knee

The Santa reacted by praising the young girl for communicating her feelings and setting boundaries, which Katie then asked him to repeat to camera. 

'I said, "this is her body, and she's in control of her body,"' Santa explained in the clip, which was shared to TikTok.

'I asked if she wanted to sit on my lap, and she said, "No," and I said, "Way to stand up for yourself,"' he continued.

'If Santa Claus says, "Do you want to sit on my lap?" If you don't want to, you say, "No!"' he added.

In the clip, little Adley looked slightly terrified as she stood next to Santa, but stayed firm with her decision not to sit on his lap.

It has been viewed more than two million times, with hundreds of followers commenting on the interaction, some sharing their own experiences.

'Love this, great job Santa and to this little peanut!! Teach your kids that they OWN their bodies,' a user commented.

'My five-year-old daughter last week, she refused to sit on Santa's lap. He said no worries there's always a way, so she stood next to him for the picture,' another added.

The Santa reacted by praising the young girl for communicating her feeling and setting boundaries

Katie told Today that she and her husband, Aaron Martin (pictured) teach their daughter that she never has to accept a hug or kiss from anyone, including her parents

'What a nice guy,' gushed another. 'Older generations often don't understand, and great on your daughter to be confident enough to vocalize her boundaries.'

'I love this,' agreed another. 'Sitting on Santa's lap was one of my biggest traumas as a child.'

Although some people thought the Santa was taking it too far.

'The little girl's standing there like "can we leave now and not video tape this?"" one user pointed  out.

'Not sure if this is really about touching or if she's just scared of Santa Claus in general like my kids are. 

'Why are people trying to make this woke?' a TikTok user complained.

 

The clip has been viewed over 2 million times, with hundreds of followers commenting on the interaction, some sharing their own experiences

Katie has since told Today that she and her husband, Aaron Martin, teach their daughter that she never has to accept a hug or kiss from anyone, including her parents. 

'Adley knows it's always her choice and she can give a high-five instead,' the mom, who is pregnant with her second child, explained.

She added that when she and her husband were growing up, they weren't given the opportunity to speak up for themselves - and wanted to make sure their daughter didn't have the same experience.

'We don't pressure her to have any kind of unwanted touch,' Katie shared.

'When we were growing up, we were told, "Be polite. Sit on your weird uncle's lap" and I don't want that for my daughter,"' she added.

The Santa, Steve Lantz, told the publication he was thrilled with people's reactions to the video.

'My wife and I have a six-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son, and we started teaching them at a very early age that they are in control of their bodies,' the part-time-Santa and Presbyterian minister said.

'There are times I will ask my daughter, "Do you want a hug?" And if she says ‘"No," I honor that. I don't push. I never ask twice,' he said.