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Society has graduated from no PDA (public display of affection) to the no touching rule in our schools across America. I ask you, how have we become a society so repressed? Critics will tell you that the 'no touching' policy is in effect for your child's own protection as well as for the teachers and other faculty members within the school systems. Others will say that is a load of manure.

Let's look at the transition from 'no PDA' to 'no touching'. Gradually as the years went by, more and more teacher-student sexual misbehavior have come to light. The sexual abuse and misconduct issues have increased considerably over recent years. This is the main reasoning behind the changes in policy. One can concur, that these growing issues are very alarming.

However, let's examine the 'no touching' policy now in effect. Teachers' aren't allowed to touch the students and the students aren't allowed to touch the teachers or each other. Wow! Are we then supposed to train our teachers and children to be robots, that is, without feeling? How ridiculous!

Teachers are the "second set" of parents to our children. As parents, do we want our children to be comfortable and happy in learning? Of course! It has already been proven that children learn better when in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere. Adults do too, for that matter. Touching in a proper manner has several psychological advantages.

Since birth, touching or being touched is the most important stimulus to the human psyche. Through touch we learn to explore our world around us. Through being touched we also learn about the world and the people around us. As parents, we nurture our children, not just with other learning stimuli, but through touch. We show children that they are wanted and loved through touch. Touch is a very important part in the developmental stages of learning in childhood. Again, I ask, how have we become so repressed as to ignore the values of touching?

In the elementary school years, our children are developing at a rapid pace. What are we telling our children when we say, "you can't touch anybody . . . hugging is not allowed on the bus or at school?" Yet at home, we encourage touching, by either patting them on the back for encouragement or hugging them just to let them know that they are treasured and loved. It is a very confusing message we are sending. My daughter is a "hugger." It broke her little heart when she was told she couldn't hug a friend. "But mommy," she whined, "I only see my friends

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