Germs.

The hands of a child are vile disgusting things.
Those little fingers go into noses, toilets, mouths, dirt, bowls of dog food, kitchen floors, bathroom counters and anywhere else you can possibly imagine.
Those squishy little palms - nothing more than a conveniently placed tissue used for wiping noses, sneezing into, coughing into and my favorite, having the dog lick.

And yet that is still the hand I insist on holding when we cross the street or walk through a store.
They are the fingers that are placed directly on my face when my attention is needed during a conversation.
Those are the fingers that I kiss, and those are the hands that wrap themselves around me during a hug.