R.J.
It's not exactly wrong.
What happens is this:
Toddlers & Babies are the world's BEST mimics. It's how they learn language, it's how they learn to walk, it's how they learn EVERYTHING.
They very naturally copy each and every thing the see around them. So when they see positive relationships... they model those right along with the negative ones.
((There's a great cartoon -Calvin & Hobbes- where Suzi & Calvin play "house". In Discussing the "rules" of the game Suzi explains it this way:
Susie: Hey Calvin, you want to play “House”?
Calvin I don’t know. How do you play?
Susie: Okay, first you come home from work.
Then I come home from work.
We’ll gripe about our jobs, and then
we’ll argue over whose turn it is to
microwave dinner. ))
Toddlers HOPEFULLY see something a little different from the above. They see their parents being kind to each other, holding hands, kisses. So they act out those scenarios on their own, right along with ABC's and when to say please, how to talk on the phone, how to drive a car, or go shopping, or taking care of babies. When they only have dolls, the dolls act it out. When they have "real life" dolls... they get the "dolls" (aka other kids) to act it out.
So I would tread gently with mimicking loving behavior. As in telling him how WONDERFUL it is that he wants to show people he cares for them, but that an even better way would be _________, or _________, or _______. Opposed to that loving behavior is "wrong". (Because that is REALLY confusing). Instead, that there are different ways to show care, and they are appropriate in different scenarios. The act some of them out. Including silly ones, like with a dog / frog/ etc., right along with family, friends, teachers, strangers.
