Gransnet forums

Ask a gran

Hugging

(88 Posts)
seacliff Mon 10-May-21 07:34:01

My badge might say "I only hug trees".

If my Dad were still here though, I'd love one of his big comforting bears hugs.

Hetty58 Mon 10-May-21 07:27:59

My friends and family know that I'm not keen on hugging anyway - so they won't start now.

I really can't see any problem in just saying 'I won't hug you, if you don't mind, I'm just not comfortable with it.'

MissChateline Mon 10-May-21 07:26:45

I guess that I change my clothes on a regular basis too. But it wouldn’t cross my mind to change my clothes because I had been hugged. I thought that the idea that the virus lived or thrived on clothing or other inanimate objects was debunked many months ago.

lemongrove Mon 10-May-21 07:25:12

rubysong

I agree. I hug my immediate family happily but feel uncomfortable with friends etc. Maybe we could have a special badge to keep 'random huggers' at bay.

?
I wonder what the badge might have written on it?
How about... Hugs? No thank you!

JaneJudge Mon 10-May-21 07:23:26

why did she hug me? or why did I change my clothes?
I suspect she hugged me because she was upset and I was kind to her. She smelt like she'd just had a shower though wink

I am a bit obsessive about laundry and changing my clothes. I always used to change them if I'd been to the hospital or done gardening or cleaning anyway, pre covid. I have realised during covid this isn't necessarily a normal thing to do. My Mum changes her clothes a lot too

MissChateline Mon 10-May-21 07:19:26

JaneJudge

A complete stranger hugged me a few weeks ago and I came home and changed my clothes grin

Why ???

JaneJudge Mon 10-May-21 07:14:54

A complete stranger hugged me a few weeks ago and I came home and changed my clothes grin

MissChateline Mon 10-May-21 07:11:37

To be honest I am more concerned that hugging was an occupation that this government believed that it could allow or not allow. I do wonder how many people have received a criminal record for hugging. As far as I am concerned no one tells me whether I am or am not allowed to hug my children or grandchildren. I would suggest that it would have been far more productive to recommend not hugging than an outright ban.

Esspee Mon 10-May-21 06:51:39

I have been telling friends how much happier I am now that hugging is banned and hope that once it is allowed they will remember that I prefer not to.
I am an affectionate person but hugging and kisses with people who are not close just feels so artificial.

BigBertha1 Mon 10-May-21 06:08:56

Apart from close family I'm not a big hugger. Hugging didn't feature in my upbringing and I'm not sure if people want to be hugged by me or not so I wait and take the cue from them. As for air kissing I hope that's gone.

rubysong Sun 09-May-21 23:39:33

I agree. I hug my immediate family happily but feel uncomfortable with friends etc. Maybe we could have a special badge to keep 'random huggers' at bay.

RedLeggedPartridge Sun 09-May-21 22:44:47

I’m like you. I’m quite an introvert though.
I am very happy hugging children but I find hugging adults uncomfortable. I always tensed up pre-COVID if anyone initiated that air-kissing-on-both-cheeks-thing.

honeyrose Sun 09-May-21 22:33:44

Now that we’ll soon be able to hug again, I feel that I can dispense with this particular activity altogether! Does that make me sound a cold person? I’m really not cold at all, but I’m not keen on hugging friends, which seemed to have become the norm before lockdowns. How do I avoid hugging friends without potentially upsetting them? We have been told to keep it short anyway and to save hugging for our closest friends/family, but I don’t want to get back to hugging every time I meet a friend. I hug my 2 granddaughters a lot and am comfortable with this - they’re only 3!