Trends

Bear Hugs: The New Fist Bump

Teens replace "hello" with a squeeze.

Please, talk to your kids about hugging before it's too late. The New York Times reports that among teenagers, hugging has replaced simple hand shakes, hellos, and air kisses as the greeting of choice. The trend has spread so quickly that some students feel pressure to fit in. One Manhattan freshman said that a non-hugger would be thought "weird or peculiar." School officials wary of sexual harassment or improper touching suits have instituted a three-second rule or banned hugging in the hallways altogether. The grassroots trend has has left parents scratching their heads. As one parent put it, “Maybe it’s because all these kids do is text and go on Facebook so they don’t even have human contact anymore."