Who's the weirdo here? Him or me?

[HelpfulHermione]

I greet my family, friends and acquaintances with varying degrees of hugs and kisses. Real kisses and big squeezes for family and BFFs; genuine hugs and air kisses for other friends, hand on shoulder and air cheek kiss for acquaintances.

I say this is NORMAL

Friend says it's WEIRD and is because I'm posh (I'm not) or because I live in an inbred sort of county (I do, but I'm not!).

Friend doesn't kiss or hug anyone ever for any type of greeting. Which I think is really really odd.

Can MN please settle this?

And totally respecting people who don’t hug back!!

Where are all you kiss/hug haters?!

I hate hugging and kissing friends. I dread leaving social occasions as I find it so awkward. I feel rude if I don't but hate it if I do.

I feel like I am the odd one and everyone else is fine with it. Is this a case of emporer's new clothes?

I hug good friends and close colleagues. I've become way more tactile since being with DP. His family are very huggy. The first time I met his sister and brother, I was absolutely shitting it with nerves, they both greeted me with huge hugs and it made me feel so welcome and relaxed. Can't imagine not hugging now. Even his 64 year old dad is big on hugs to say hello and goodbye, I think it's lovely.

Not everyone does it, no.

I do it more now but it's a horrible minefield. You sound as if you have complicated matters further by having categories of people who get different treatment - what if they don't know what category they are in and they go for the hug while you're pretentiously air kissing?

As for what your kids will think - do you really think anyone will notice or care?

And I don't think I'd keep dating for long a guy who said this: Friend says it's WEIRD and is because I'm posh (I'm not) or because I live in an inbred sort of county (I do, but I'm not!).

I have Autism so if someone approached me for handshake, hug or air kiss, i freeze and back away, i may come across as rude but it's really not I just don't like it, luckily my friends know not to do it.

I hate huggers, I only hug my children, when they let me.

I'm from a generation and family culture where handshaking only on birthdays and at New Year was the norm (even between parents and children!)

There is a few people I will hug/kiss (on the cheek - other than my husband) my mum, and two of my close friends and my children. I'm really weird about people getting too close to me, if other people do attempt to hug me, I don't like it and I just freeze and sort of like.. tap their back a bit whilst thinking 'ffs get off'

I also can't say 'love you' unless I really mean it. So don't do this 'luv you babes' stuff

I don't even hug friends/family
Your space, my space

Everyone I know gives social kisses too. One on each side. On arriving and leaving. Men/women and Women/Women. Men/Men just hug. Lips not generally bang on cheeks, it's more of a brush Maybe just hand on shoulder. More properly huggy according to closeness of friend, lateness in day, amount of alcohol - and personal preference.

Definitely grown in the last 20 years or so.

Find it weird when it's someone you've only just been introduced to, and you have to be on kissing terms by the end of dinner.

Also I'm not always quite sure when it is a kissing occasion and when it isn't. It's not when you drop off kids at school - unless not seen them for a long time after holidays - but where to draw the line?

Interesting to know there are still non-kissing social groups out there.

I generally go with the flow these days, but come from a very repressed family. It wierded me out for ages but I'm now used to the friends who like a hug or an air kiss etc. I would be very shocked by a French kiss though.

DH comes from a triple kiss country. And men kiss men if family or good friends. And apparently there is even a trend towards four! Social gatherings take forever.

I hate hugs and kisses with a passion! Try hugging me and you'd not see me for dust!

If it was up to me, close family only - on their birthday! t

However I have "huggy" friends and I tolerate welcome and goodbye hugs. I don't like it, though.

I come from a kiss your aunts and uncles on the mouth country and hated it. The cheek kissing in the UK doesn't come naturally to me and I will miss entire sicial gatherings if I know people are going to want to kiss me. I always go the wrong way, I don't make the 'mwah' sound, it's just terrible. I will be happy if a smiley 'hello!' Comes back into fashion!

I hug my parents when saying hi/bye... the only person I'd kiss other than DH/LO might be my granny on the cheek.

The thought of air kissing makes me cringe, sorry! But sure do whatever you and your friends are comfortable with

cantfindname come on over!!! [opens arms ready]

I hug everyone. Unless I know the other person doesn't like hugs.

My mum and dad are the only people that get a big hug and kiss when we're saying hello or goodbye. I have a few friends that get a light hug and a kiss on a cheek, but very few.

I found my sister's dp very difficult to cope with when I first met him, because he tries to do the whole huggy kissy thing. I've got friends that I've known for more than 20 years that I don't do that with (most of my friends aren't very touchy feely either). It was quite tricky to work out how to keep my distance enough to make it obvious from my body language that I didn't want to be touched without being too rude.

I do what you do more or less but live in France so I kiss everyone including the baker.

But in the UK I only generally see close friends so big hug and a kiss. Family it's 2 kisses. The rest just a hi.

Christ I've realised that I am way too tactile with my hugging and kissing. I had no idea that most people hate it. Will certainly think twice now about lunging in

I hate it. DH is an enthusiastic kisser, hugger, shaker of hands etc so people naturally assume I'm the same.
I've managed to master most of the necessary actions with the correct degree of effusiveness now, but am still totally flummoxed by a friend who is approximately 6'8", while I am a shade over 5'. The amount of times I've ended up kissing his right nipple or the collar of his shirt, while he grazes the far end of my eyebrow is ridiculous, and yet we still force ourselves to do it as our respective partners enthusiastically air kiss and hug

I hug everyone they are the best.

I think hugging and kissing as a greeting is the norm. Teens can be a bit squeamish about it, but children and adults generally like it/ do it.

Big hugger here! Thankfully all my friends are too. And we do the cheek to cheek air kiss malarky. I actually feel really awkward if i can't give somebody a hug!
Obviously in a formal situation it's a handshake but thankfully those are few & far between!!!