Fairfax County middle school student Hal Beaulieu hopped up from his lunch table one day a few months ago, sat next to his girlfriend and slipped his arm around her shoulder. That landed him a trip to the school office.

Among his crimes: hugging.

All touching — not only fighting or inappropriate touching — is against the rules at Kilmer Middle School in Vienna. Hand-holding, handshakes and high-fives? Banned. The rule has been conveyed to students this way: “NO PHYSICAL CONTACT!!!!!”

Isn’t it bad enough we are teaching the next generations to do whatever authority figures tell them to do without questions, but we also have to teach them that all physical contact is bad too? No handshakes, hand-holding, high-fives? No patting people on the back? And how are these kids supposed to learn how to handle inappropriate contact, or even know what it is, if they don’t experience any peer-to-peer physical contact? The first thing children raised in this sort of environment are going to do as young adults when someone forces a handshake on them or has the audacity to pat them on the back is freak right out!

We continue to screw up our kids more and more, all in the name of keeping them safe and secure. We are raising a generation of mental cases, and they are the ones who will be caring for us in our old age. I just can’t wait. :shootme: