Global Hug Your Kids Day

Hug Your Kids Day Help Solve Poverty?

Michelle Nichols — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:58:50 +0000

The New York Times just ran a column by Nicholas D. Kristof titled, A Poverty Solution That Starts With a Hug.” Wow! I thought I’d thought a lot about hugs over the past four years, but I never thought about solving poverty with them. Apparently, the American Academy of Pediatrics is “issuing a landmark warning that toxic stress can harm children for life.”

Hugs can reduce stress, certainly toxic stress, and so hugs, especially for very young children, help strengthen them for a more successful run at life, including less poverty.

Hugs fighting stress – that’s something I’ve spoken a lot about over the years. Fighting poverty? Something new to consider.

What do you think? Do hugs help you have less stress? How about your kids and spouse/partner?

Give them a few extra hugs every day this week and see what happens!

2012 Global Hug Your Kids Day Date Set

Michelle Nichols — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:50:48 +0000

It’s a date – Global Hug Your Kids Day in 2012 will again be on the third Monday in July, which is Monday, July 16, 2012. Mark your calendars now, start to dream about how you could get involved, and get others involved, and most importantly, hug your kids and loved ones today!

PS Between August and January, I don’t blog much about the holiday. I try to let it go fallow, like a wise farmer does with her field.

PPS We have big plans for 2012, because it’s our 5 year anniversary. Stay tuned, and keep hugging!

9/11 Reminder to Hug Your Kids per Denver Post

Michelle Nichols — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 15:17:26 +0000

I know I’ve been rather quiet on this blog since the Global Hug Your Kids Day holiday on July 16, but we got lots of good press and lots of kids got hugged. http://www.hugyourkidsday.com/2011_Holiday.html

I just read an article in the Denver Post that says that most of the comics this Sunday, Sept. 11, will be about the 10 year anniversary of the attack on the U.S. I loved the closing line of the article:

“Somebody asked me the other day what we might accomplish,” (comic writer Jerry) Scott said. “The answer is that it’s not about accomplishing anything. It’s a chance for loved ones to bond and commemorate a tragic event. “It’s a pause in the day, a reminder to hug your kids.”

http://www.denverpost.com/coloradosunday/ci_18846860

Enjoy today – and remember to hug your kids!

Jeffrey Benjamin Interview of 30 Day Hug Challenge

Michelle Nichols — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 18:52:44 +0000

Jeffrey Benjamin, founder of Breakthrough Training in Reno, NV, recorded a touching 7-minute interview on Global Hug Your Kids Day and the 30 Day Hug Challenge recently. I also talk about WCSD Board Trustee, and how “a hug changed everything” for him.

Grab a cup of coffee or a soda, turn on your speakers and take a 7-minute break. You’ll smile the rest of the day – and hopefully, when you get home, you’ll hug your loved ones too!

http://soundcloud.com/breakthroughtraining/michelle-nichols-jeffrey-benjamin

Javier Colon, Stitch by Stitch, Hugs for Global Hug Your Kids Day

Michelle Nichols — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 18:04:38 +0000

Javier Colon, winner of The Voice TV show, was on the popular Bill and Connie Radio show on Alice 96.5 just before me today. He sang and played the guitar of his winning song, Stitch by Stitch. Not only was he good looking and very talented, he was a geniunely nice guy. When he heard that it was Global Hug Your Kids Day, he told me he longed to hug his two daughters, ages 3 years and 22 months.

Bill and Connie were great fun. They helped me spread the word about the www.30DayHugChallenge.com

Javier Colon, winner of The Voice TV show, with Michelle Nichols, founder of Global Hug Your Kids Day

Outrageous GSA Hug Story told to Hug Your Kids founder

Michelle Nichols — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 22:41:51 +0000

Inappropriate Hug Story #1

My friend, I’ll call Jean, was at a happy hour after a seminar on government purchasing, when a GSA guy asked her if he could hug her goodbye. Before she could reply, he stepped in for the hug – and kissed her right on the lips!

Folks, this is inappropriate, for several different reasons I don’t need to list. It’s also part of why I’m not part of the general “Free Hugs” movement, because not everyone wants or appreciates a hug from strangers.

Hug your kids, your spouse or partner. Anyone else, use good judgment!

Hug Your Kids Partners with Flip The Script Now in Nevada

Michelle Nichols — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:06:54 +0000

Have you ever thought about how hugging your kids helps keep them from being bullied? I just realized this as I learned about a new program in Nevada, called www.FlipTheScriptNow.org. They want to prevent both school- bullying and cyber-bullying, and it’s being funded by R&R Foundation. The www.30DayHugChallenge.com can be a tool for them to help parents remember to hug their kids every day, and thereby reduce the chance that they’ll be bullied – and maybe prevent kids from wanting to be a bully too. That’s a double-win!!

The longer I raise my kids, the more I realize how tough it is to be a kid today. There are a lot of pressures, and stronger pressures, than when I was growing up. This pressure can lead to more bullies, and more victims, as kids struggle to find their spot in the world. Hugs, especially daily hugs from a mom or dad, can make a difference. Hug your kids today, folks!

Karen E. Klein and Financially InKleined Promotes Hug Your Kids and Hug Challenge

Michelle Nichols — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 18:17:46 +0000

Karen E. Klein, author of Financially InKleined blog, was kind enough to tell her followers about the 30 Day Hug Challenge and Global Hug Your Kids Day. Yea! Thanks, Karen!!

http://kareneklein.blogspot.com/2011/07/hug-challenge.html#comments

In the comments, they were discussing a similar story on This American Life about a dad who challenged himself to say “I love you” to his child every day for a month. This led me to pitch a story about the Hug Challenge to TAL. Here’s an excerpt of what I submitted. In case they accidentally don’t pick up the story, I thought I’d share it with you! Enjoy, comment, and pass it on.

I’m the founder of Global Hug Your Kids Day – which is next Monday, July 18, this year. www.HugYourKidsDay.com Instead of having events where families gather and hug their kids, I created the 30 Day Hug Challenge. www.30DayHugChallenge.com. It is completely no-cost and has 10 no-cost, downloadable gifts. Of course, the best part is the solid month of hugs from your kids and/or spouse/partner. Hugs and gifts – what a combination!

I’m hoping that people will not only challenge themselves, but friends will challenge each other too. Who can hug their kids 30 days in a row? Divorced spouses who share custody of their children can challenge each other too. Who wins? Everyone – kids and parents. And as a result, schools and employers, because folks who get hugged by their families perform better the rest of the day. Just ask my mom!

Our goal is to generate a million hugs in July, so we need everyone’s help. And besides, when you give a hug, you get one! And a million is only 10 people hugging their kids and telling 10 friends, repeated 4 times. Really!

I created the holiday in memory of my son, Mark, who died suddenly at age 8 ½ years old of brain cancer in 1998. On his 5-year anniversary, we had billboards put up in Houston that said, “Hug Your Kids Today. We Wish We Could. In Memory of Mark Nichols 1989-1998.” Five years later, in 2008, I left being a writer for BusinessWeek to write a book, called “Hug Your Kids Today! 5 Key Lessons for Every Working Parent,” and start the holiday. We were in 28 states our second year and Pfizer took us to the Philippines the third year. This is our fourth year.

Did you know there are 5 steps to a good hug?

Free your hands and arms
Empty your mind of distractions
Make eye contact
Then make heart contact
Squeeze!

Please help us reach our goal and hug your kids today. Then your spouse/partner. Then tell a few friends about the holiday and the challenge.

A good hug can make your day. A great hug can change your life. Hugs matter!

Josh Hamilton, Shannon Stone, and Hug Your Kids

Michelle Nichols — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:58:38 +0000

If you’re a baseball fan, I’m sure you’ve heard the tragic story of Josh Hamilton, all-star outfielder for the Texas Rangers, who threw a ball up into the stands where father Shannon Stone tried to catch it for his 6-year old son, Cooper. Dad overstretched, fell over the wall, and died. Ouch!

Scott Miller, Senior CBS Sports writer, in a recent story, adds this:

Funeral’s today, Hamilton repeated, and this should not be a subject for an All-Star Game. A father takes his 6-year-old son to a baseball game and never comes home? It is just one more harsh reminder. Do not dwell on who’s not here, on what you don’t have. Appreciate what — and who — you do. Hug your kids, count your blessings, be kind to others.

Hug your kids – good advice all year around, for all kids and parents.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/15313613/allstar-hamilton-has-more-than-baseball-on-his-mind

PS Don’t forget – this Monday, July 18, is Global Hug Your Kids Day. If you want to get involved, take the 30 Day Hug Challenge at http://www.30dayhugchallenge.com/. It’s free, fun, and you get 10 free gifts AND a month of hugs from your kids. It doesn’t get any better than that! What Cooper Stone wouldn’t give for one more hug with his dad.

Stop Hugging After 30 Day Hug Challenge?

Michelle Nichols — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 16:28:47 +0000

I got a funny question the other day, “If I take the 30 Day Hug Challenge, do I have to stop hugging my sweet child after the 30 days?”

Of course not! The person asking the question was just pulling my leg, yanking my chain, giving me gas. (And it was my sister, so there’s that whole sibling rivaly factor too.)

So, just to clarify:

1. Sign up for the 30 Day Hug Challenge today – unless you don’t think you’re tough enough!

2. You DON’T have to stop hugging your kid(s) after the 30 days

3. Keep hugging! Hugs matter.