One-Minute Hug

“Hugging is the ideal gift. Great for any occasion, fun to give and receive, shows you care, comes with its own wrapping and, of course, is fully returnable. Hugging is practically perfect. No batteries to wear out, inflation-proof, nonfattening, no monthly payments, theft-proof and nontaxable.”

Whenever I feel a bit down (for reasons that only us moms would know), I always count on a hug from the little boy who freely gives them. He grew up receiving hugs from me, an awful lot, that’s why he knows when I needed them most. At times, he’s just so happy with something, he’d embrace me really tight – just because. His hugs are most appreciated when I’m on the verge of crying. I really don’t need to say anything, he just comes up to me and hugs me…makes me smile all the time. There were of course those moments when he gets scared, he would run to me and cling. I’d hug him real tight to let him know that I’m there, that I’ll be there to protect him.

Now that he’s a bit grown, the hugs, though not forgotten, doesn’t come as often as they used to. It’s readily given when asked and when needed but not when he’s happy. I guess the things he does as a child has taken much of his time. That’s when the one-minute hugs came to be known between us.

It’s a routine that we have any given time and day. I’ll just say “hug” and we would wrap our arms around each other, he, counting from 1 until 60 – equivalent of a minute. We both learned to appreciate those moments.

The hugs are mostly for me. It’s my way of remembering how once I held this sweet child in my arms for hours on end. How I spent sleepless nights watching over him, making sure he’s sound asleep and not hurting. I guess it’s just me comforting myself, that he’s all grown up, I’m getting old…without the one-minute hugs and a few years from now, he’d probably tire from it all. Well, it’s just me…a mom, thinking aloud.