Do you remember the first time you held your child in your hands and felt an instant connection, an overwhelming rush of love, and the feeling that the world has been narrowed down to only the two of you? It feels as if all the worries and sorrows have been lifted from your shoulders at that time, and you’re only left with feelings of pure love, happiness, calm, and joy. Such magical experiences generally get lost in the mundane life routine, but it is possible to recreate such moments in everyday life.
We at Delhi Public School Kota, positioned among the most well-known best school in Kota, believe parents and kids can experience such blissful moments regularly by simply hugging each other. While hugging may appear like a normal act of love and affection, science shares a different story. A recent New York Times publication highlighted several scientific studies that confirmed the benefits of touch on children. Another meta-analysis published in Nature, a multidisciplinary science journal, also shared similar findings and highlighted how a simple touch facilitates mental and physical well-being.
We believe hugging is the best and simplest way to foster a profound connection with your kids, and it can also benefit them in numerous ways. To help you understand better, we encourage you to read the following reasons why you should start hugging your kids more often.
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Promotes Emotional Bonding
Every time you hug your kids, their body releases oxytocin, also known as the bonding or love hormone. This powerful chemical helps form healthy attachments between parents and kids, fostering deep trust. You can also view it as a non-verbal way to express love that offers a safe haven where kids feel secure, loved, and supported unconditionally. Such feelings of safety lay the foundation for healthy emotional development and emotional intelligence, contributing to the overall emotional bonding between kids and parents. Hence, we encourage parents to hug their kids daily, even if it looks random.
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Lowers Stress and Anxiety
There is a misconception that kids aren’t prone to stress and anxiety. In reality, they are more burdened and tense because of the fierce academic competition, peer pressure, social challenges, etc. As such, the least parents can do is hug them lovingly so their tension melts away in this warm embrace. Hugging your kids can decrease their cortisol levels, popularly known as the stress hormone, and calm their nervous system for immediate relief.
We at Delhi Public School Kota believe hugging your kids regularly can make them more receptive to physical affection and help them develop healthy stress-busting and management skills over time.
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Supports Brain Development
A hug after a tiring day can be emotionally comforting, but its benefits have a far-reaching impact. When kids experience the warm embrace of their parents via physical touch like hugging, their brain stimulates the growth of neural connections essential for their overall cognitive development. It instantly activates multiple sensory pathways that enhance the child’s brain functioning and development, leading to improved problem-solving abilities, sharper memory, accelerated language development, etc. Moreover, such acts of love make them feel safe to explore their environment, take calculated risks, and thrive in all aspects of their life.
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Improved Physical Health
Surprisingly, the simple act of hugging can help improve your child’s physical health. It is believed that hugging your kids daily can strengthen their immune system over a period of time, helping them fight numerous infections. The gentle pressure accompanied by every hug has a very positive effect on the child’s cardiovascular health. When kids are hugged, their body releases oxytocin (the happy hormone), which eventually improves their blood pressure levels. Over time, it can contribute to better heart health, improved sleeping patterns, a regulated nervous system, and many more benefits.
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Enhances Self-Esteem and Confidence
There’s no denying that kids today are under extreme pressure to perform exceptionally well at all levels, and it is taking a toll on their self-worth and confidence. If your kids are always compared by their peers, you must step in to defend them and cheer them up with a quick hug. Such random acts of physical touch make children believe they’re unconditionally loved and accepted by their parents. It won’t only reassure them of their self-worth but also rebuild their confidence in incomprehensible ways.
Conclusion
Everyone faces unspoken battles while navigating their life journey, and your kids aren’t any exception. The piling homework, never-ending classes, constant comparison with toppers, pressure to stay socially relevant, etc., are all breaking children to bits. Hence, we at Delhi Public School Kota, one of the leading CBSE affiliated schools in Kota, encourage parents to pay special attention to their kid’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being by always being by their side. One of the easiest yet most effective ways to cheer them up and contribute to their overall well-being is by hugging them daily. So, ensure you make it a daily ritual and encourage your kids to do the same. It will have profound benefits on their overall well-being and quality of life.