There are many things that I like after becoming a mother, from the changes that occurred in my way of thinking and seeing life, to all those beautiful things that come with the arrival of children, such as listening to their little voices or the samples of affection that they have towards us.
One of those signs of affection is their hugs, but while they may seem just that to us, there is much more behind it. I tell you everything that your child does not tell you when he hugs you or asks you to hug him and why you should always reciprocate.
The purest love
Some time ago, I spoke about how during childhood our children give us the purest, most tender and sincere love. And it is that when they are small, we are not only their parents: we are their peace, their safe place, their entire world .
For this reason, and because they depend completely on us, in their first decade of life they constantly look for us, asking for that space between our arms, so sacred, important and special for them . That place that gave them warmth and affection from the first day of their life, and that will continue to do so for many years to come, even when we are no longer able to carry them.
Those gestures, like the kisses and caresses of their little hands, are the ways in which they show us that precious love. But even though everyone is special, hugs have an even more important meaning to them .
Everything that hides behind a hug
Most of us know and can agree that hugs have healing powers . And if we have doubts about its power, we have as shown some scientific studies that have proven why parenting is beneficial for our children.
But today I will talk about the power that hugs have between parents and children, nor will we focus on the benefits that they can give us both. Today, I want to explain to you why hugs are much more important for children than we can sometimes understand .
First of all, we must remember that children are in the process of learning to understand and manage their emotions, so the way of communicating what they need or feel is not the same as ours .
As adults, we have learned to vocalize what we feel, but in many cases, children express it in other ways. And of course, one of these forms is the hug , which says much more than we think.
For a child, a hug is not only an expression of love, but also a way of communicating their emotional needs , both positive and negative. A hug from our children, for example, can arise during an explosion of joy, in which they want to share their happiness with us.
But also, a hug can tell us that something is not quite right with them, and they want to give it to us because in reality they are asking us to provide what they need at that moment , whether it is security if they feel fearful, or love if they feel disappointed or sad.
Therefore, we must understand that there is much more behind being a simple show of affection, since hugs are also one of the ways in which they communicate an emotional need to us . So let’s hug our children, whether they are 8 months or 13 years old, because even though they are not so young, we are still their safe place.
Photos | iStock
In Babies and more | Letter from a mother who no longer has a baby in her arms, for mothers who still have it. Does parenting end when our children stop being babies?
