Have You Hugged Your Teen Today?

Who was the last person you hugged?
Was it your spouse, pet, child, mother, sibling…..?
When was the last time you hugged your teen?
It seemed so natural, so easy, to hug our kids when they were little.
As teens, it seems that they don’t want to be hugged as much anymore.
Sometimes we don’t want to hug them because they are being so difficult and unreasonable.
But, think about it, they aren’t any less in need of love than anyone else.
Sometimes, they are more in need. Our teens go through so many emotions a day. Between hormones, peer pressures and school stresses…they are desperate for a hug, but don’t realize it.
My teen is taller than me, she doesn’t always like what I have to say…
But, we hug at least 6 times a day. And it was not always like that.
It took some work.
Teens can tend to be oversensitive, overly opinionated and gaining their trust and respect isn’t always easy.
But as we strengthen that part of our relationship with them, they come around a bit more; little by little.
How many times have you seen them in distress and want to console them, but you are too afraid, for fear of what they will say or do?
I bet that hug would not only mean more to them than anything you could ever do, but I am also willing to bet that they would be accepting, even if they don’t seem like it at the moment.
How many times has someone in your presence looked like they were going to cry, and held it in, until you hugged them in a genuine, comfortable embrace? And then the waterworks came.
Hugs are therapeutic and can heal. Though they might not be able to solve someone’s problems, but they can at least aid in their emotional wellbeing by letting them know you care.
Hug someone today, and make one of them your teen.
Hugs for Health:
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/07/26/how_hugs_are_proven_to_help_your_health_have_you_been_hugged_today.htm
Notice at the end of this above online article, where a reader named Patty Baker makes a very small comment about hugging the unhuggable…
Visit this Father’s Post: A sweet very-short story about a father son conversation which started with viewing a public hug between a teen father and his son.Tips shared in his post are: fathers hugging their children, hugging your teens, and fathers hugging their developed teen daughters.
http://www.christianfathers.com/hugging-your-kids.htm
This is a quote from the above post: ‘Try to hug your kids at least twice a day.  When you establish this pattern, you’ll notice that your kids will come to you for hugs. If you notice that they don’t seem happy, always offer a friendly hug. Don’t take it personally if they decline.’ - Mark Brandenburg MA, CPCC
About.com- if your teen wont hug you, here is a link with comments galore on [parents with teens who do not want hugs:
http://parentingteens.about.com/b/2009/11/19/do-you-still-give-hugs-to-your-teen.htm

Truly,
Amber
P.S. I wanted to post a picture of my daughter and I hugging, but she hates her picture taken...Something else that began when she turned into a teen....Grrrrrrrr.

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