By Diane Forrest
Last week was Make a difference to a Child Day. We talked about spending time with your child
and the activities you can do with your child.
Being a young parent can be very stressful. You have long hours of working, not enough
time to spend with family or friends, and lists of chores to get done. It feels like there isn’t enough time in the
day to get all you want to get done.
Sometimes in all the hustle and bustle of daily life, kids can be pushed
back, placed on the back burner. These
are the times that we as parents need to stop, take a breath, and grab our
children and hold them tight. They need to know that no matter what else is
going on around them, there is nothing more important to you than them. It doesn't take long to give your child a
hug, kiss them and tell them you love them.
All too quickly they grow up into the dreaded teenagers, who don't want
to be seen with you. My baby will be 26
this year. I don't get to see him often;
he lives in a different city. He was home
last month, and when I saw him I gave him a hug. No longer is he the sweet little boy I used
to pick up and hold, but he is now a man twice my size who’s hugs squeeze the
life out of me. But there is no better feeling than the hug from your child.
Today is Global Hug your Kid Day and was founded in
2008 by Michelle Nichols, a 25-year sales veteran and longtime Business Week
columnist whose son, Mark, died suddenly at 8 1/2 years old from brain cancer
in 1998. This made me think of another
family who recently lost their 15-year-old son to pancreatic cancer, and countless
other parents who have lost children due to diseases or accidents. I was reading about a sweet little 4-year-old
boy who was helping his father at work, taking pictures in a cemetery, when a
tombstone fell on him and crushed him. These parents will never have the
opportunity to hug their children again, so don't waste another minute giving
your child or children hugs. If you don't have any children, hug your brother,
sister, grandchild, niece or nephew, any child.
I would be wary of hugging stranger's children though, they may think
you are a creeper and hit you over the head with an umbrella. But today, and every day, never passes up an
opportunity to hug your child. Hugs are
free, but they last a lifetime.
(Photos from Google)
Wonderful sentiment, and I agree totally. I like hugs!
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