When I went into the girls preschool room to pick then up from respite care today, MC ran up to me and gave me a huge hug. And then she said, “I love you so much, Mommy!!!”
The hug and sweet words I received from her brightened my day so much.
In that moment I felt so much love.
As humans, we need and crave human touch.
We need hugs and kisses and pats and close contact.
I remember having the opportunity to do “kangaroo care” with EA and MC when they were in the NICU as tiny babies. Kangaroo care is basically holding them skin to skin like a kangaroo does with it’s young. Studies show that this physical touch actually helps to stabilize a preterm baby’s heartbeat, temperature and breathing. These babies also have longer sleep periods, more weight gain, decreased periods of crying, longer periods of being alert, and are an earlier hospital release.
Physical contact makes a huge difference with these babies.
It also makes a difference in the lives of our infants, toddlers, preschoolers, older children, and even teenagers.
They all need to be loved through physical touch throughout the day.
They need more than just a good morning hug and a kiss before bed.
The simple act of giving regular hugs, kisses, sitting close, tousling their hair, tickling (one of my personal favorites), rubbing backs, etc. are important to nurture our children’s self-esteem and confidence in themselves.
Because this simple act lets them know that they are loved and cherished.
Rachel C says
This is so true, and I see even as Caroline gets older, she still needs this touch from her mommy and daddy. She loves to be close to me, and it makes a difference in our day when that contact is there. Great blog post, Monica.
Jennifer Scruggs says
my favorite is watching them give this to each other– Whichever one of my children wakes up second (usually Rachel!) runs and finds the other one and gives hugs and kisses. They are so cute with how they love each other! I think this is “caught”– something they learn from watching mom and dad, and what they enjoy from mom and dad. It’s important to display (appropriate) physical affection with your spouse in front of your kids! This helps them feel loved and secure too. Great post!! 🙂