Hug Your Kids – Even When “No High School”

Notice the shiny "RE"

When I drove past RENO HIGH SCHOOL this morning, my daughter pointed out that the RE were shiny. “That’s because kids are always stealing them, so the sign looks liked “NO HIGH SCHOOL.” What a hoot!

Since I’m a practical mom, I wondered why the school didn’t just put hinges on the back of the letters, so pranksters could lay them down, and the next day, the janitor could just set them up again, instead of having them stolen and then replaced.

This made me think about how flexiblity is also an important tool in our tool box as parents, as employees, and especially as working parents. Flexiblity about where and when the work gets done, but never about the heart and quality put into the work.

Hug your kids, even ridiculous ones that make the sign over their school read “No High School.”

Hug Your Kids – Even Angry Teens Need Hugs

Even angry teens need a hug

Maybe especially angry teens. Actually, these girls were posing and cracked up right after I snapped this photo but it makes me laugh.

Parents of teens ask me all the time about hugging their teens. My answer, “Yes!” Of all the age groups, I think teens need hugs the most. They’re learning to drive, applying to college, starting to work, dating, and other stuff we don’t even know about. They need the physical reminders of  hugs that their moms and dads LOVE them and stand beside, behind and even in front of them.

Even though my 18-year old daughter is 6 feet tall, my husband and I like to give her a “sandwich hug” where we both hug her at the same time. It’s one part embarassment and one part comfort.

Got a teen? Hug them today!

Hug Your Kids – For Rare Disease Day

Addi and Cassi Hempel, who are battling Niemann Pick Type C AKA Children's Alzheimer's

When a child has a rare disease, it’s tough on them and their whole families. It’s hard to find doctors to diagnose and treat them, there often aren’t medicines, protocols or special equipment to make their lives easier or cure them, and  kids can feel “weird” when they just want to fit in.

To help these kids, and their families, there’s a great group called the Children’s Rare Disease Network. http://www.crdnetwork.org The beauty is, when kids with rare diseases come together, they and the public see that they aren’t so rare! Feb. 28 is World Rare Disease Day, and many groups are coming together, helping to raise awareness.

Chris and Hugh Hempel introduced me to the CRDN through their beautiful 6-year old twins Addi and Cassi. Check out www.addiandcassi.com for their story.

Please hug your kids and spouse / partner today, just because you can!

Hug Your Kids’ Message Applies to Seniors Too

Michelle Nichols and Bev Bender, long-time friends, share a hug and a laugh

My old, ahem, long-time friend Bev Bender, recently told me that her dad, at age 93, and his lady-friend partner, a young 87, live in a retirement community in southern California and they made up business cards that say they’re members of “The Hug Club.” This just goes to show, you’re never too old for a hug!

Canada vs. China – Who Hugs Their Kids More?

Parents in America happily hug their kids in public

I just read an interesting article about why some cultures hug a lot – think Italy – and some rarely hug, even their own children – think China. It was written by a Canadian on why Canadians don’t hug a lot publicly. http://records.viu.ca/incline/hugs.html

Unemployment Can Be a Gift to Mothers

Businesspeople often talk about “unintended consequences,” but here’s one I didn’t think of. NPR just published a story about how executive women who lost their jobs recently are spending more time with their kids and learning more about them. They’re spending time with their children at their schools, daycares and doctor’s offices, apparently places the nannies went in their stead when the moms worked full time. http://tinyurl.com/cspcds

What do you think? I think it’s an opportunity for the kids have quality time. I know it’s hard to see unemployment as a gift to mothers , but from a kid’s view, it just might be. 

Mom Buys New Basketball Hoop for Better Parent-Child Communications

My son recently had his 12th birthday and my hubby and I bought him a basketball hoop. I’m not trying to raise the next NBA star (OK, I’ve started too late for this goal anyway,) but I was also thinking that maybe my son and I could spend some time together shooting baskets while we talk about his day, his dreams and of course, girls.

Sure there’s a depression, recession, or whatever, but he’ll only be 12 once – and I’ll only be this age once too. Parenthood is a gift and it’s fleeting. For more info: www.hugyourkidstoday.com

Daniel Levine, a trend spotter at the Avant-Guide Institute who analyzes social trends recently said “People are being more value conscious, but just as important, they’re being more conscious of their values, and what that means is that they’re looking for experiences that speak to their heart.”

Anyone for a game of Horse?

Working Parents: Freedom from Kids or Work?

I just learned a new  word: “Kidsickness.”  It’s when parents miss their kids. I mention it now because many parents and their kids can’t wait until the kids go off to summer camp or to visit a grandparent for a week or two. Yet soon after the kids depart, the kids become homesick and the parents get “kidsick” until they are reunited.

The lesson: Although an occasional separation is good, at their core, families long to be together – and hug.