♥ Thursday, March 31, 2011 ♥
:D
"
To Have and To Hold
by Michael Webb
When our son was a baby he would sometimes start crying for no
apparent reason. We check his diaper. Fine. Try to nurse or feed
him. Nope. See if his gums hurt. They're fine. Take off or put on
clothes. Doesn't matter. Pick him up and hold him. That's the
answer.
Over the past 50 years numerous studies have been made regarding
babies and human touch. Babies that are held less often tend to be
weaker and sicker. Those that receive a lot of cuddling thrive in
comparison. With premature babies, physical touch can often make
the difference between life and death. Researchers have come to the
conclusion is not just a want of a baby, it is a basic need right
up there with food.
Over the years, Athena and I have visited a nearby retirement home.
We visit with the elderly and listen to their stories. We let them
tell us about all the people in their photographs that line their
room. What lights their face up more than anything else is when I
give them a hug and hold their hand during our visit. They crave
physical contact.
I don't think the need for touch disappears when we are no longer
infants and suddenly reappears when we are aged. Too often, we
suppress that need, thinking it makes us weak or less independent.
Some people say "I don't really like to be touched or held." I
don't think they were born that way. I believe every human needs
lots of hugs and holding of hands.
One of the most common threads of all the blissful relationships I
have witnessed is the physical closeness of the couple. Two people
who realize the basic need to be held - often. I wasn't a hugging
sort of person when I married. But everything that I read and all
that I witnessed indicated that I needed to do that if I wanted a
blissful relationship. So from day one of our marriage, I gave the
formulaic hugs and kisses, not because my heart felt like it, but
because my head knew it was right. With months of frequent hugs and
cuddles with Athena I began to appreciate the warmth and closeness.
Now it is hard to pull us apart.
Hugs, holding hands and lots of cuddles. It's not just for babies
and grandparents. And for some relationships it can mean the
difference between life and death."
