In our day and age when everyone's personal space is highly valued and guarded, public hugs and kisses are verboten, especially in our school culture...!!!  

Yes, gone are the days when teacher and student could exchange innocent hugs like mother and child or father and child...and students could be comforted physically as well as mentally by a caring and reassuring teacher/mentor...  

As a child being raised in a typical Italian/American household with several generations living under one roof...touchy feely was easy and practiced freely and routinely...  

The same was true in our Catholic School, where loving nuns gathered children around them at recess, and distributed, to many, hugs and warm wishes which further reinforced our home values...!!!  

Like most things in our culture that we find outdated, we usually throw out the baby with the bath water...that is, we tend to be an overcompensating culture...  

This post isn't going to change hearts, minds, or attitudes, but maybe it will get some of us to begin to reinforce positive values and practices in our homes...  

On a recent radio program a study was underlined that asserted that by merely hugging 5 times a day we could become a much happier and fulfilled person...  

Since God has given me 9 beautiful children, 5 still living at home, it should be easier for me to get in my 5 hugs...BUT...  

You know what...I, like many others, take much for granted...and so many days go buy in which I squander that opportunity and fail to hug a single person...!!! Shame on me!  

I am going to resolve today, right now, to at least begin a daily practice of hugging each of my at home children at least once a day...  

And if I include my lovely wife, Benita, and our loyal dog, Daisy...that'll give me 7...my favorite number and 2 to spare...!!!

Happy Hugging...!!!