Maynard, Massachusetts: A 5-year-old girl was forced to write a letter denouncing hugging after a classmate embraced her.
At issue is a shared hug between two kindergarten girls, Savannah and Sophie, at Greenmeadow Elementary School. Sophie hugged Savannah and Savannah hugged back. Sounds harmless, correct? This is an everyday occurrence between young girls expressing their affection and friendship.
The hugs resulted in Savannah having to write a letter, complete with teacher corrections, that read, "I touch Sophie because she touch me and I didn't like it because she was hugging me. I didn't like when she hugged me."
The young girls' parents, Brenda Brier and Michael Marino, pulled their daughter from school early on Wednesday. The couple was angry after a meeting with the school officials and expressed outrage toward the letter denouncing the embrace, which their daughter was forced to write. Brier has said that her daughter is upset about getting in trouble for hugging.
"I can understand if boys are playing rough or kids are pulling each other around -- that's one thing. But when kids are being affectionate, I mean hugging, hey, they shouldn't be disciplined over it and they shouldn't be lying in letters making the kid say the opposite that they don't like to hug," Marino said.
How proud we should all be that we have de-evolved into a society in which two pre-adolescent girls cannot hug each other. In an attempt to protect our children from sexual predators we have outlawed physical emotion at the basic level. We have introduced modesty to our youth at an earlier age than required and are robbing them of their innocence.
My daughter, a grade one student, was instructed on her first day that there will be absolutely no physical contact with other students. This was to include hugging and handholding with her female peers. She couldn't understand why it was not allowed. I was forced to educate my child on the evils of the world (albeit in the most non-descriptive, innocent way possible) before I would have liked to. I am all for empowering our children, and arming them against the cancerous elements that slither into our lives - but to stunt the emotional needs of our youth, indicating that all physical love is sinful, is pure disgrace. My child has been educated regarding the inappropriate actions that she may be exposed to in the future, and has been educated on how to handle such events. This is a parent’s responsibility. From that point on we have to let common sense rule.
Little girls hug and hold hands, that is just simply what they do. Shit, adult women continue these practices.
At issue is a shared hug between two kindergarten girls, Savannah and Sophie, at Greenmeadow Elementary School. Sophie hugged Savannah and Savannah hugged back. Sounds harmless, correct? This is an everyday occurrence between young girls expressing their affection and friendship.
The hugs resulted in Savannah having to write a letter, complete with teacher corrections, that read, "I touch Sophie because she touch me and I didn't like it because she was hugging me. I didn't like when she hugged me."
The young girls' parents, Brenda Brier and Michael Marino, pulled their daughter from school early on Wednesday. The couple was angry after a meeting with the school officials and expressed outrage toward the letter denouncing the embrace, which their daughter was forced to write. Brier has said that her daughter is upset about getting in trouble for hugging.
"I can understand if boys are playing rough or kids are pulling each other around -- that's one thing. But when kids are being affectionate, I mean hugging, hey, they shouldn't be disciplined over it and they shouldn't be lying in letters making the kid say the opposite that they don't like to hug," Marino said.
How proud we should all be that we have de-evolved into a society in which two pre-adolescent girls cannot hug each other. In an attempt to protect our children from sexual predators we have outlawed physical emotion at the basic level. We have introduced modesty to our youth at an earlier age than required and are robbing them of their innocence.
My daughter, a grade one student, was instructed on her first day that there will be absolutely no physical contact with other students. This was to include hugging and handholding with her female peers. She couldn't understand why it was not allowed. I was forced to educate my child on the evils of the world (albeit in the most non-descriptive, innocent way possible) before I would have liked to. I am all for empowering our children, and arming them against the cancerous elements that slither into our lives - but to stunt the emotional needs of our youth, indicating that all physical love is sinful, is pure disgrace. My child has been educated regarding the inappropriate actions that she may be exposed to in the future, and has been educated on how to handle such events. This is a parent’s responsibility. From that point on we have to let common sense rule.
Little girls hug and hold hands, that is just simply what they do. Shit, adult women continue these practices.
