I come from a kissing family. Is that weird?
I am not sure if its a Southern thing but it could be. In my family we greeted one another with a kiss and hug. When we said goodbye, another kiss and hug. Being a very affectionate person I was never bothered by it really. As a boy, I put a stop to giving dad a kiss around 5th grade and just offered a hug. Same went for uncles or any other male relative. But aunts, mom, and grandmothers still get a kiss upon greeting and upon saying goodbye.
I first became aware that this practice could be odd to others when meeting and marrying into my wife’s family. This is not something they like to do. Maybe a few kisses for the grandkids when they were small but mostly a warm hello or a side hug. The interesting thing about combining families with different expressions of affection like this is watching the end results of who prefers what. For instance, my eldest son would think a kiss is worse than death. But my daughter and youngest son would gladly cover your cheeks with them if they knew it would brighten your day. My in-laws and specifically my father-in-law who is a self professed Vulcan has been more affectionate and gentle with his grandkids than my wife could have ever imagined given her upbringing.
I won’t say one way is right or the other. If I had been raised in a non-kissing home that would have been normal for me and probably what I preferred. I just find it interesting how the two types of families exist and in some cases coexist rendering a variety of results. Did the kissy types convert the non-kissers or did the non-kissers convert the kissy types to slow their role? Enquiring minds want to know. Leave a comment about your experience.
That’s my two cents…keep the change.
