Baby Massage Expert says Hug Your Kids Today!

So often, people only say “Hug your kids” after a tragedy or loss. It was a nice surprise to read the blog by Dr. Elaine Fogel Schneider, author of a book  and expert on baby massage, this week, where she wrote:

Hugs, especially daily hugs from a mom or dad, can make a difference. Hug your kids today, folks!

Considering the handbook for Global Hug Your Kids Day, which I wrote, is titled, “Hug Your Kids Today! 5 Key Lessons for Every Working Parent,” I think her parenting advice is brilliant, for all working mothers and dads.

Bedford NH Police Captain Sets Example to Hug Your Kids Every Day

First responders – police, fire, and ambulance crews –  have a special place in my heart because they witness the fragility of life – and thereby, the importance of hugs –  every day, sometimes for a 30 year career. Many of the police departments I’ve read about, and I expect many first responders in general, have already adopted the “hug your kids and loved ones every day” message as a part of their culture.

Daily hugs matter. Unfortunately, the police officers in Bedford, NH were reminded of this simple truth once again after the sudden death of one of their own this week. I won’t print his name because I don’t want to add to his family’s grief, but if I could, I’d be on a plane tomorrow to grieve, and hug, with them and his fellow officers and their families.

Bedford Police Captain Daniel Douidi said. “It makes you realize why you hug your kids before you leave for work each day.” Our loved ones make our life worth living, and worth protecting.

My dad was born and grew up in Nashua, NH. I think of it as a bucolic place but I have to realize there are bad guys everywhere. Thankfully, there are good guys, and good gals, to keep us safe too!

If you’re a first responder, thank you. If you’re a first responder in Bedford, NH, please accept my sympathies. Thank you for protecting me and my family and everyone else, and thank you for setting the example to hug your kids every day. Global Hug Your Kids Day is Monday, July 16 this year but I’m glad you’re already in the hug habit.

To read this story: http://bedford-nh.patch.com/articles/greenland-shooting-hits-home-for-bedford-police-captain

Detroit Red Wings Coach Mike Babcock Says Hug Your Kids

Detroit Red Wings fan, I’ve gotta love your coach, Mike Babcock. When The Detroit News’ writer Bob Wojnowski interviewed Mike, Bob asked Mike about hockey (duh!) but also about his family and his life.

Bob asked: You mentioned adversity — right before the season, there was the horrible tragedy with your former assistant, Brad McCrimmon. (Coaching a team in Russia, he died in a plane crash.) How hard did that hit you in the gut?

And Mike answered: All those guys had families, and that’s what resonates with me. Those kids don’t have a dad. Beast (McCrimmon) had a love affair with his family like nobody I ever met. It goes to show, you better hug your kids today.

Many women are surprised at how many men really “get” my message of hug your kids. Men tell me, “Of course I love my kids and I love to hug ’em whenever I can.”

 

Hugs – they are important to moms and dads – and sons and daughters. Don’t go to bed tonight without hugging somone you love. Hugs matter. Ask Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings hockey team.to read the full interview from The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120411/OPINION03/204110326#ixzz1rkT8c9FR

Jeffrey Benjamin Interview of 30 Day Hug Challenge

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

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

Hug Your Kids Partners with Flip The Script Now in Nevada

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

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?

1. Free your hands and arms
2. Empty your mind of distractions
3. Make eye contact
4. Then make heart contact
5. 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

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.

Jaycee Dugard – Mom Regrets Forgotten Kiss Goodbye for 18 Years

Barbara Jean Crowe, one of our Hug Your Kids fans, watched the Jaycee Dugard interview and commented that Jaycee’s mother “was too busy and didn’t want to be late for work and did not kiss Jaycee the morning she was taken away. It is a clip from Diane Sawyer’s interview. A lesson for all of us.” I only watched part of the interview and I didn’t see the clip but I trust Barbara knows what she saw and heard.

I’m not judging her mom. We’ve all had days where we felt we were too busy to kiss or hug our kids in the morning. Her mom had to pay a terribly high price – 18 years of guilt. That feeling is exactly WHY I started the Hug Your Kids project.

Global Hug Your Kids Day is in one week. Please hug your kids today – and give them an extra one for Jaycee and her mom.

Facebook, Social Media Day Values Hugs, So Hug Your Kids!

In Grand Junction, CO, they declared it Social Media Day. They raved about how great and wonderful social media is (and we agree) but concluded: Social media is fun but there’s still something to meeting face-to-face,” said Kettlewell. “There’s still something to shaking hands, and there’s definitely something to making sure you hug your kids.”

http://www.nbc11news.com/localnews/headlines/National_Social_Media_Day_How_Facebook_Twitter_have_Changed_Our_Lives_124834229.html

Hugs equal to Facebook. Gotta’ love that! Hugs go way beyond “work-life balance.” They are like a super power for working parents.