I'm not going to be 'that' mum

[Skybooks]

DS is in reception (just over a week so far so early days)
Was catching up on tapestry of activities he has been up too and I see there was a welcome activity where they all went around and introduced themselves and shook hands. Now I know they are close and in a bubble but I'm.not sure hand shaking should be taught as a greeting right now.

I'm not going to raise it bit want to know if I'm being crazy paranoid.

IABU - ITS A STANDARD GREETING
IANBU - ITS A FUCKING PANDEMIC

YABU and bizarre

Why does your opening post refer to objecting because of the pandemic but then five minutes later you don’t care about that. I’m not really sure what your objection is tbh. There’s a rainbow/brownie game where they go round in a circle shaking hands, I suppose they were doing something similar in school. Why object to children learning a formal greeting as part of socialisation?

@Florrieboo

It is so outdated. I doubt my 8 or 11 year olds even know how to shake hands. It isn't something kids ever need to do and as their generation grows up it won't be anything anyone does.

Shaking hands is still common in secondary schools (in awards ceremonies etc and greeting senior teachers and visitors to the school) and it would be rather humiliating for a child to not know what to do when an adult holds out their hand. So I think it is something kids should still be taught, even if it's not being done at the moment.

Haven’t you had a job interview in a while? Handshakes are not outdated.

Maybe I should have phrased it better.

I am not opposing the contact and I understand it was a standard greeting however in not sure it will continue to be so post covid.

During a pandemic where in theory many of those children cant or shouldn't hug or shake hands with a grandparent or aunty/uncle it seemed odd to me to teach.

I have referenced the pandemic because it is relevant not because I think the actual hamdshaking will increase any infections

Sorry for the mis understandings

Hand shake is almost universal. Why is that outdated?

How is handshaking outdated?
It was commonly used all the time right up to the pandemic!

Just spending alot of time at work with adults trying hard to forget the culture and muscle memory of hand shaking

Why? Ok, we can’t do it now but we will again, in time. We don’t need to “forget the culture”.

@HopeClearwater

Haven’t you had a job interview in a while? Handshakes are not outdated.

I have yes when the interviewer held out his hand and then remembered we arent supposed to do that right now.

You've heard of social distancing right?

Post Covid people will shake hands.

Do you think people are going to bump elbows indefinitely!

YABU. We were shaking hands as a sign of respect six months ago. It's hardly outdated. It's just on hold, as PP said.

The little ones at my nursery shake hands with the teacher as she calls their name to go and wash ready for lunch. It teaches respect for others, plus its lovely to help them feel part of the group and develop relationships. We debated stopping it because of Covid, but decided to continue because they are so young, they can't social distance from each other anyway and still stick random things in their mouths. We mitigate it by increased cleaning and handwashing.

I get what you're meaning. Now just isn't the right time for that kind of thing to be taught.

My kid came home the other day and said "the rule is that we're allowed to hug but we're not allowed to kiss"... Like you, I don't think this is a problematic thing to teach in schools in general, but to still be using that as a rule during a pandemic seems a bit daft. I know they can't actually socially distance, and that they will hug anyway, but at least trying to encourage a little distance where possible seems wise, and in line with what's expected of them outside of school.

Yes, kids need to learn how to shake hands, but probably it could be postponed til year 1...

SamsMumsCateracts I think that sounds really sweet.

I don't think it's outdated, though I'd be quite fine if handshaking didn't come back. As a welcoming activity for little ones, it seems a concrete way to take turns in this and I imagine it didn't really take much teaching.

No it’s not strange at all. This is not a normal situation, this is a very temporary pause from many things that has been in our culture for 100’s of years. Children should be taught to shake hands. It’s a sign of respect in both the business world and on a personal level (IMO mainly between men meeting) Its entrenched in our culture in the UK. Taking a short pause at the moment but it will be back and the kids need to know what real normal is. When people start shaking hands again, they might recognise it!

I don’t think you’re necessarily BU OP. A quick google search will confirm plenty studies showing how “dangerous” handshakes are in the spread of germs - and most studies were pre-Covid.

..”Scientific studies have found that you are more likely to pass germs through a handshake rather than a kiss.”

Shaking hands IMO will go out of fashion now, for want of a better phrase. Maybe for a considerable time, so I see what you mean about being outdated.

Maybe not a huge deal considering the age and circumstances - but yes maybe they could use a different form of greeting for now to avoid them practising their new skill with other friends and family during the pandemic.

It's not outdated. Surely it's good that children are taught to acknowledge people politely. What would you prefer - neanderthal grunt/shuffled feet/inability to make eye contact?

OP, you are being Rather Odd.

These are tiny tiny children being taught something that most people would say was almost universally seen as good manners. HOWEVER, reception-aged children don't typically go out into the community and start shaking hands with strangers like some sort of glad-handing politicians. In other words, they're being taught a lifeskill/behaviour that is 'nice' to know but won't be deployed for quite a while yet. Let's hope the fucking pandemic is over by the time these tinies are old enough to need to shake hands in earnest, and unclutch your pearls.

Most of us are just thankful the teachers are turning up and that the children are able to attend. It’s a pretty trivial thing to be disgruntled about.

I am not opposing the contact and I understand it was a standard greeting however in not sure it will continue to be so post covid.

I think you are lacking perspective here, as others have pointed out, hand shaking has survived many plagues and epidemics.
A broader view of human history is useful, it inoculates you against many 'crazy paranoid' upsets like this.

Handshaking was very very common in my industry until mid-March....

And I haven’t seen a real person for work purposes since then.....

For the second time tonight...

What...really?!

I feel like people are intentionally misunderstanding your question, which was clearly phrased tongue in cheek! Yes, completely agree with you, at the moment probably not the most sensible thing to do.

Your original post is you going on specifically about the issue if contact in a pandemic. Then you've suddenly done a u-turn and said well it's just an outdated practice.
Either way, YABU.

My son hugs and kisses his friends at school, it’s so hard policing little children. I tell him not too but it goes out the window when he sees them. They may have sanitised their hands before and after the handshaking. I’d just leave it tbh, hell be hugging and holding hands during break times.