Greet one another with a holy kiss.
—Apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians 13:12
Hugs and kisses aren’t only good for your children’s hearts; they’re also good for their heads. A study by child psychiatrists and neuroscientists at Washington University found that kids with the most loving parents had a hippocampus 10 percent larger than children who weren’t well nurtured. The hippocampus is a part of the brain that’s involved with memory, learning, and emotions. So children who are held and hugged may be able to learn quicker, remember better, and respond to stress more naturally.
It doesn’t take a brain scan to prove that appropriate touch makes a person feel better. Of course, it’s nice when science confirms what we already intuitively know. God has created us to positively respond to love, especially the love of a parent. It makes us emotionally stronger and, as this study shows, smarter. In the Bible, the blessing was made up of multiple things. One of those involved meaningful touch. Touch removes distance and communicates intimacy. Touch coupled with words of belief can be especially powerful.
Consider how much more impact you can have as a parent on your children when you give them positive, loving touch. Combine that touch with spoken words expressing truths of favor concerning your child’s future, and you are setting your child up to fully live out the plan God has for him or her. Plus, it just makes your child feel good.
Application
1. How often do you hug your children? Even teenagers appreciate appropriate affection.
2. Why do you think touch was part of the biblical blessing?
3. This week make sure to hug your children, tell them you love them, and remind them God has big plans for them.
Prayer
Lord, a touch of Your hand changed lives and healed people. Allow my touch to have a similar healing effect on my children. Amen.
An excerpt taken from Raising Kingdom Kids. Discover more at RaisingKingdomKids.org.