On the cult of hugs among kids...

My daughter always loves hugging people. She loves to do that since she's a toddler. She can run to hug anyone that she knows, men or women, boys or girls. Her hugs are quite disarming and often infectious, since everyone loves it, and they all love her.

As she grows older now, we try to teach her that it's nice to hug, but it's not proper to hug just about anyone. She would even give hugs to grown-up men too, which, given her height, she would be hugging the men around that groin level, and that is totally inappropriate and unacceptable. It helps that her school now has a no-hugs-no-kisses policy. That validates our teaching to her, that it might not be proper to hug anyone. These days, when she's 7 now, she doesn't hug much anymore, not even to me. In a way, being a mommy, I feel kind of sad. But I know it's part of her learning process to growing up.

So, it comes as somewhat of a surprise, when I read an article about the culture of hugging (and giving hugs), boys or girls, among teenagers. I'm not sure if I would have endorsed a blanket hugs-everyone attitude for everyone, since it reduces the true meaning of a hug. But then, I think back on how my daughter used to be like, when she would hug everyone. It means something to her, given her open attitude. Unfortunately, in this day and age, I would rather be more reserved than open. Sad, but true.