Have you hugged your kids today? This isn't just "bumper sticker" philosophy. Today, let's talk about the importance of affectionate touch to "kids" of every age.
 
A child's experience with touch is crucial to his or her ability to relate affectionately later in life. Now, it's certainly true that no one would expect a mother, for example, to indulge in as much physical behavior with an adolescent as she would with an infant. Our needs for affection change in degree and kind at different times in our lives.
 
However, demonstrated love and affection is important to our mental and physical health at every age. Did you know that our actual body chemistry changes when we are physically close to another? It is true. Many studies have now conclusively demonstrated that touch, especially caring touch, can boost the strength of our immune system, increase the oxygen carrying hemoglobin in our blood, and in general, make us happier and healthier human beings.
 
If you've never felt comfortable affectionately touching those you love, maybe you'd like to think about how you might go about gradually changing things and the benefits that might accrue.
 
Keep in mind that physical closeness is only one way of expressing love, but it is a vital element in most caring relationships.