It's so much easier to express anger
than love. The minute you see your child doing something out of line, you
don't hesitate before telling him to stop in a firm voice, or before losing
your temper. Most of us are able to shell out feelings of frustration and
indignation at the drop of a hat but when it comes to looking at our loved ones and telling them how deeply we care, we draw a blank.
Have you hugged your
child today?
And we mean really 'hug', not just
playfully tickled him or kissed him on the cheek. have you held him close
to your heart for a few moments so he feels your love without you having
to say a word? We're just talking about the good, old-fashioned bear hug
that generates nothing but warmth, affection and a feeling of acceptance.
Make hugging your child a daily ritual.
In fact, stop for a moment and think - "did I hug my child today"? And
if not, why not? What held you back? Pure thoughtlessness, or was the thought
"give a hug, spoil the child" running through your mind? Surprisingly,
a large number of parents shy away from being too affectionate with their
children because they believe their children will develop a swollen head.
If you fall into that category, can you honestly say that you'd rather
your child have low self-esteem than an ounce of overconfidence? Yet others
feel that too much physical affection may make the child someone who grows
up letting his emotions take charge. He may grow up to be someone who thinks
from the heart, not the head. Not True. Hugging people doesn't stop them
from using their mind any more than being rational doesn't stop them from
being emotional.
Enough studies have been conducted
to conclusively prove that human touch heals and increases one's life span.
Not only that, human touch is also essential for human growth and development.
The benefits of a hug
Hugging is healthy, for the body
and the soul. Hugging is hygienic. Hugging won't give you AIDS and it won't
increase the population. It boosts self-esteem and brings about a sense
of security in a way no word can. Hugging reaches inside and touches your
soul. The world may heal a bit if hugging increases, so do your bit. Get
your body into action. Start hugging. After reading this article, give
your child a hug. Then hug your spouse tight. When you meet friends at
a party or a nightclub, don't just kiss the air on their cheeks or shake
their hands. Open your arms wide and, that's right, give them a hug.
Everybody loves a hug
Hugging can do wonders for a relationship.
Watch your bond with your children strengthen as your hugs increase. Everybody
loves a hug, not just your children. Extend your hugs to other family members
as well. You find it difficult to hug your sister because it's not part
of your greeting ritual and you feel awkward? Remember, the person who
is the hardest to hug is usually the one who needs it the most.
Work at it
If you've decided that you want to
start hugging more, realise that it may not be easy at first. Of course,
if you're the bold type and walking up to friends and giving them a hug
when you're used to 'air-kissing' doesn't bother you a bit, get into action!
But if you are slightly more reserved, you may find it difficult to break
the mould. This is because we are so used to behaving a certain way with
certain people in our lives, that we can't suddenly change our actions
towards them without the thought, 'Oh my God, whatever happened to her!'
running through their brain. So if hugging someone has not been a part
of your communication with certain people, it will be difficult to start
- but not impossible.
Try this out:
Say good morning with a hug
Say good night with a hug and kiss
Say thank-you with a hug
You can never hug your children too
much
"It takes 4 hugs a day to survive, 8
hugs a day to maintain, and 12 hugs a day to grow." Truer words were never spoken.
Name:
Seema,
Country: india
its very important to hug your child. achild gets a feeling of being loved, cared and protected.
Name:
Jojo,
Country: malaysia
hugging is very important in our life. it shows how you love and care about the person. it also make both party happy.
Name:
Anita,
Country: india
wow, that really touched my heart. i, for one, will take this seriously and hug - everybody i can, especially my child.
Name:
Phil - Northern Ireland,
Country: other
i love my kids more than anything and try to show them when i can, but i know i can do better. more hugs and i will keep telling them how much i love. this is also for my parents whom i need to say more.
Name:
trish,
Country: australia
i have always been a person whom hugs,my daughter also does this its good to know im doing something right
Name:
vicky,
Country: usa
i think the article was great, but when i told my sons therapist he doesn't want to be huggged or kissed so much she started asking questions and says she might have to call cps. he's sixteen is all.
Name:
Jayne,
Country: usa
we just got my husbands 7 year old child fulltime from a not so great homelife. i find myself having to tell to get off me so i can just get the dishes done! the dishes can be put off, not the child. :) thank you
Name:
priyanka,
Country: india
i was touched by this article ..and now i will make it a point to increase the no. of hugs i giv eto my children and hubby and even to my friends and relatives..just to show i care.
Name:
ann,
Country: india
thank you for this article. yes its good to know i have been doing something right:-)
y'know every day in the evening when i sit for prayers i hug my son and daughter in my head from my heart.i practice giving them warmth and love thru a mental hug even when they are away at college or just busy studying. just visualize hugging them, it will do great wonders for your realtionship. try it today.
Name:
indra,
Country: india
it isa very nice article
Name:
don't touch me !!!!!!,
Country: netherlands
“it takes 4 hugs a day to survive, 8 hugs a day to maintain, and 12 hugs a day to grow."
what a joke ,i never had a hug and i'm still alive.
i'd rather have someone kick my face in then to have someone touch me.
and ofcourse you keep saying that to yourself over and over again only to numb out the desperate need for a hug.
Name:
Wasif,
Country: india
you have counted many advantages of hugging. do you know that muslims hug each other when they meet. while meeting, during eid, during occasions like death, wedding etc. it gives a sense of brotherhood, closeness and oneness. this is what islam teaches. that we all are one and brothers. hugging takes away pride and arrogance and instills love for each other.
Name:
Davinder,
Country: canada
great article! this is so true. hugs can do lots of wonderful things. try to hug your child tightly when he or she is really angry and uncontrolabe. a tight and loving hug with a smile can do the magic!
Name:
Jessy,
Country: canada
i was browsing the net and found this article on hugging your child, and i want to say now, that it is so true. our children need to be hugged, they need to know we're there for them and that we love them no matter what.
Name:
Rebecca,
Country: usa
wonderful advice to parents! mister roger's neighborhood is still popular with children in the united states because he advocated hugs! he even "projected" hugs to children in his audience with words of kindness and patience.
Name:
Anupama,
Country: india
very nice article. this reminds me of my mom. she always tells, when we wakeup our children we shud hug them and talk sweet words to them for some time during hug, it will make both our and their day wonderful.
i do that to my daughter and its true, but theres one practical problem, if we can't do it or not present when they wake up.. they messup the day like n e thing starting with cry...
Name:
Teacher,
Country: usa
i have children in my second grade class who tell me that they are never hugged at home (i make it a point to ask them). that is so sad. so i hug them (and any others) instead.
i always ask the child permission to hug them, and i always hug them only in public (lunchroom, schoolyard) when there are dozens of witnesses who see the hug so that it cannot be misconstrued afterwards. many children line up to be held, including children from previous years and from different classes!
i am happy to do this, because i love the children and my hugs are nothing but a reflection of that.
Name:
Jey,
Country: malaysia
it's a good article, and i do believe as a mom we need to show our children how much we realy love and care for them , and huging will be the best way to do it.i will make sure that i will hug my children everyday.
Name:
abrogard,
Country: australia
i turned to the web after my wife told our three year old, who was on my knee, " boys don't all the time want hugs. only girls have hugs all the time...." something like that.
i firmly believe in hugs. your article pleased me. i'd just like it if you mentioned age a bit - at what age is it okay to hug your children? (any age is my belief. i remember my father hugging me when i was 40 and what it meant to me. much more than anything words could mean).
regards,
ab :)
Name:
Teddie,
Country: U.S.A.
hie ..... i have an only son and i believe that hugging him is very important . i hug him in the morning when he gets up and comes for breakfast , when i get back from work and i see him , and before he sleeps .
however big or small your child may be , there is nothing wrong with huggning and kissing . they are your kids and they deserve it . as a mum it has helped me create a very close bond with my child .
Name:
saira,
Country: Japan
hello,i like ur article and i am also agree with wasif.we dont need 2 read articles as it is in our calture.i hug my child i hug my mother i also hug my husband when he is going 2 office n also when coming back 2 home this is what make our relationship more strong
Name:
vikram,
Country: India
excellent article. i will make it a daily habit and teach to my children the importance of hugging.
Name:
ramani,
Country: India
very nice article - only after going through this article did i knew the importance of hugging.
thank you very much.
Name:
hema,
Country: India
i didnt know hugging is so important.i am gonna hug my child more.its a very nice article and educative.i think somewhere deep inside us,we all love to be hugged,something to do with spending 9 months in the womb.
Name:
snehalata,
Country: India
great article. i do believe in it. i do hug my child daily,specially when he is demanding some thing that i cant give at that moment or he is crying, i give him a tight hug saying i love you ,later i explain him the matter.it works, graet!
