Have you ever been pinched on for not wearing green on St. Patrick's Day?

It was one of the unspoken rules of the playground during our childhood. On March 17, anyone who wasn't sporting some type of green on their visible attire (sorry, underwear doesn't count) would be pinched by their peers. I have to be honest, we did a LOT of things during our childhood that I now question as acceptable in today's social climate.

With the bullying epidemic are kids even allowed to single out friends or classmates who aren't wearing green? Are they allowed to pinch them? If you couple that with the #MeToo movement does it cross the line to get into someone's personal space to touch or pinch them without their consent?

Instead of letting those questions make my head spin, I decided to do some research (read: Googled "St. Patrick's Day Pinching Rules") and find out the common guidelines when it came to deciding who could get pinched on St. Patrick's Day.

After clicking on numerous articles I realized there were no concrete rules, but one blog, in particular, did a really good job at encompassing all of the most common pinching regulations.

On St. Patrick's Day, here's how you can avoid being pinched:

  1. You MUST be WEARING green. Green nails, hair, face paint, stickers, etc. don't count. The green must be part of your clothing.
  2. Your green MUST BE VISIBLE to avoid being pinched. The only way your green undergarments will count is if you're showing them. At that point, you may be facing bigger problems than getting pinched.
  3. Just because you don't "celebrate" St. Patrick's Day, doesn't mean your excluded. Pinches are blind and only see green or the lack thereof.
  4. Pinchers may pinch someone not wearing green as many times as he/she wants, but are totally responsible for any consequences that may come with over pinching. HOWEVER, if a pincher pinches someone that IS wearing green, they are allowed to pinch them back 10x per pinch.
  5. How hard you pinch is up to you (as we mentioned in the previous rules, consequences may vary) but try not to bruise anyone. Pinching is fun, not abuse.
  6. Last, but not least, have FUN with it. No one likes anyone who takes pinching too seriously, so go easy and enjoy this super fun holiday and DON'T FORGET TO WEAR YOUR GREEN!

Did we miss any pinching rules? Do you have any pinching feedback? There are no official "rules" on St. Patrick's Day pinching, so we're curious to hear what rules you and your friends live by.

Wear your green, don't get pinched, and have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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