Greeting & Farewell Etiquette - To kiss or not to kiss?

I’m a 54 year male, late diagnosed ASD and would welcome thoughts from forum members on the subject of greetings and farewells – to kiss or not to kiss?

This is something that I have long felt slightly awkward & unsure about, but have tended to go in for a nice squeezy hug and peck on the head or cheek with female friends (sometimes the same with male friends).

I have a limited number of friends, with perhaps five or six close friends with whom I share a high level of trust. My greetings and goodbyes with these individuals are typically sincere and meaningful, and they provide me with considerable comfort.

I would be interested to hear about the approaches others take in similar social situations. Currently, I am navigating a particular circumstance related to this topic, which is prompting this inquiry. I will provide additional details later once I have gathered some perspectives from this discussion.

So, what do you tend to do in such situations?

Parents
  • I don’t like close contact with people so I don’t initiate a kiss or hug, but I would reciprocate. The only exception is when I visit a very old lady who uses a wheelchair. I know she expects a peck on the cheek, so I oblige. Strangely, that doesn’t seem to be a problem for me, perhaps because I know what is expected and I am in control. 

Reply
  • I don’t like close contact with people so I don’t initiate a kiss or hug, but I would reciprocate. The only exception is when I visit a very old lady who uses a wheelchair. I know she expects a peck on the cheek, so I oblige. Strangely, that doesn’t seem to be a problem for me, perhaps because I know what is expected and I am in control. 

Children
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