Whole lot of huggin' going on

Those of us who are old enough can remember when Armstrong walked on the moon; most people heard Tony Blair declare a new dawn in 1997 and everyone has heard the new Prime Minister recite his school motto. But I am intrigued by those things that are new and surprising which seem to come from nowhere.

When, for example, did the male hug become acceptable? And hugging head teachers? This I have to do my research on.

Year 11 appeared at their celebration dinner last week, looking like Oscar nominees at a Hollywood ceremony. They would not have looked out of place at Buckingham Palace. Nelson Mandela once said that individually we sparkle, but together we shine. Well, they didn’t only shine, they dazzled.

After the opening welcomes, the cameras flashed, the music played, glasses of Pimms flowed and we sampled the delicious food produced for us by the excellent Scoffers. All normal so far.

Now I’m relaxed about male bonding but I’m of the generation where I don’t actively go out to seek it. Perhaps it’s a lack of rugby playing in my early youth. So I was touched (literally) by the requests for hugs from some of the Year 11 lads. It makes a great statement and I got to feel the cut of those sharp suits close up.

But my question is when did the hugging start? Why didn’t I notice and shouldn’t somebody have told me? After all- if the hug is the new hand shake, I’d better get some practice in.

To all the Year 11s out there- it was a great evening. Staff were delighted to have an evening with you rather than doing their marking or watching Teachers’ TV. (No, we don’t ever watch ‘Desperate Housewives’). And next time I think of memorable events- men on the moon or new prime ministers, I’ll also remember the Year 11 Celebration dinner.…..when the hugging began.