On the 16th of July all children should be given extra special hugs, as it is Global Hug Your Kid Day.
My little, big man thinks that it is this day, everyday. If he is feeling sad, tired or upset, he comes to me for a hug. When he was younger it was so nice having him wrap his little arms around me. Now, he is bigger and heavier (he prefers to sit on my lap), I still enjoy the hugs but have now made sure that they are timed, otherwise, he would hug forever.
The timer on my phone is set for two minutes, if he sets it, it is more. We sit on the sofa silently and release oxytocin (also known as the cuddle hormone) making us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. By hugging for this amount of time it lifts our serotonin levels, elevating our mood and creating happiness.
There are lots of benefits for a good old hug/cuddle: it relieves stress, makes you feel calmer and is good for relationships.
There is a saying by Virginia Satir, a respected family therapist, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need eight hugs a day for maintenance. We need twelve hugs a day for growth.”
So, hug away. Man, woman and especially, child.
