:( My 5.5 Year Old Son Is Getting Embarrassed to Hug/kiss Me in Public :(

My boys differ.

My 8 year old still kisses and hugs me in public without hesitation.
*Although, just last week he didn't want to hold my hand while we were walking into the grocery store. Not that he had to I just held my hand out to him out of love and he said 'No thanks'! :)

My 6 year old will kiss me quickly in public... but I can tell he would rather not sometimes.
*He has declined to hold hands (again not out of safety concerns just out of love) for a good long while!

It's kind of a heartbreaking phase.
As they get older you get lots of hugs and they'll pick you up off the ground when they "want" something :) and it always "worked" on me, haha.
Then they turn to men, and if you are lucky they will sit next to you on the couch and let you cuddle on them again. Mine are sweet like that. They know I need the "fix".

My son is 5 and a half as well and he has been done with kisses for over a year now. Luckily he will still give hugs and isn't embarrassed. He has to give me a hug every morning when I drop him off at preschool, so I am still grateful for that!

My son is almost 6, and he's still ok with it (for now). But about a year ago he started doing something at bedtime. We've been blowing kisses for a couple of years. If you blow a kiss the other one has to catch it in their hand and say, "I got it." One day he gave me a "thumbs up" and said "chev." No idea where he came up with that, but it stuck. So now when I walk him to the bus, we both blow kisses, catch them and give our "thumbs up" and say "chev." We both know it means "I love you."

It will never be quite the same, but maybe the two of you could come up with a similar signal. I think it's so important for kids to go to school knowing mom and dad are thinking about them and love them.

my son will be 6 in september...not yet...

i'm so sad now! :( lol!

Ahh, really? Yikes, not looking forward to that w/ my son! He is 5 1/2 y/o & thankfully still very affectionate in at home & in public. We hug & kiss when I drop him off at his vpk, & sometimes in front of his friends & teachers if they happen to pass by & he doesn't mind. Before we part ways, we always give each other the "I Love You" sign in sign language & a wink. He loves it that, that's our way of saying I Love you in our special way.
Hanging on to this w/ all my might before they're gone!!

Depends on the kid. My own son wouldn't do more than a shy wave from age 4 on. My 9 yr old grandson will still run over and give a quick hug when his friends are around. My 7 yr old grandson gives a little smile and wave. He's been doing this since he started school. It's a little sad but I look at it as them growing up instead of growing away.

My boy has never been real affectionate with me, but he has always been more so with his dad, those two are buddies for life:) I did read an article today though about things you can do to love your child. A few points that maybe can help you preserve some love out of your child is have them kiss their hand and give you a high five, then you pretend to put the kiss in your pocket. Another one was, have a secret handshake and last one off the top of my memory was to have a charm of sort that you can pass back and forth when leaving one another. These were ways that were supposed to show you both still cared but you recognized they were growing up too.

Mine shrugs when I hug in public (but that's more his personality), and occasionally if in the right mood or wants food, will give me a hug too.

HA! Mine started that business in K4. About 2 months into it, one morning he let himself out of his seatbelt/booster and leaned up between the seats before I had pulled up under the portico at the drop-off. He says, "Can you give my my kiss now, before we get up there?" !!!

He is almost 14 now, and he is SUCH a big hugger. Just not in front of folks outside the house. That's not cool. Even though he promised me about a year ago that he would always hug me in public, even in front of his friends, even when he's in high school. :/ We'll see.

your son sounds just like my son...not in public but at home he is on my lap for cuddle time. i think my started right around the same age -he is 10 now! in fact he won't even hug one of his grandmas but will shake her hand goodbye! but i have a friend with two boys and i can go up to them at school and give them a hug and a kiss on the forehead and they love it!!! so i guess there is no real answer!!!