Have you noticed in recent years that men hugging one another has become more and more of a common occurrence?  There was a time when two men embracing outside of their own family was something you rarely saw and even within the family circle it was more likely that a father and adult son would greet one another with a handshake.  At some point things changed.

I do know that even when I was young my father and I hugged often and we continued that as adults.  However I would learn that friends of mine rarely hugged their fathers or adult family members and instead used the firm handshake.  Meanwhile today I don’t think twice about greeting a good friend or someone I have not seen in a while with a hug…it’s not the one you would use at a funeral but more like a “quick hitter” with not a lot of contact.

Look at sports…everybody hugs, even their opponents and I can tell you that was a no-no in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.  A handshake after a game or pat on the back was about the most emotion you would get and now the sports world has become a hug fest.  Some will tell you it’s a cultural thing as in some minority group’s men always hugged one another and it’s just catching on with the rest of society.

There is not a moment in history which we can refer to as the beginning of the men hugging era and it’s likely a generational thing.  If my generation is okay with it we passed it on to our children and they are even more open to passing it on to their kids.  Whatever the reason I think it’s good that men are not afraid to show our affection for one another.

By the way we can’t overlook the handshake and I have noticed that many younger guys have forgotten the proper way to do so.  Firm grip and eye contact as opposed to limp grip and head down.  Today’s real man is one who has a strong handshake and can hug as well…and yes it’s okay if he likes quiche.

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