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It's hard to argue with the idea that hugs make most things better. They can comfort you, cheer you up, help you open up and share your feelings — the list goes on.
And Inside Edition correspondent and the author of One More Hug, Megan Alexander, isn't arguing.
The idea to write her first children's book came to her when her kindergartener requested not one, not two — not even three or four — but five or six hugs from her before boarding the school bus in the morning.
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"My oldest son Chace had such anxiety [waiting for the bus in kindergarten]," Megan tells Rach. "He'd be first in line to get on the bus, and then he would run back to me [saying], 'One more hug, Mama, one more hug,' and squeeze me tight. He didn't want to let go. And he would ask for five or six hugs, and then he would be the last in line to get on the bus as the doors closed."
Courtesy of Megan Alexander
"At first, I'm sort of hurrying him along," she goes on, "but I realized, 'Oh my gosh, this is a moment.' And that became a saying in our family: 'There's always time for one more hug.'"
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"It's a great book for children that might have anxiety to help them understand that lots of kids have anxiety when they're trying new things," Rach adds.
With that said, Megan points out that not all parents are quick to give their children — especially boys — hugs, in an effort to toughen them up for the real world. But she argues that more hugs could very well foster the characteristics that make a good husband and father.
In fact, when Megan started brainstorming the book, she researched how hugs really affect children — and found that they actually do more for children as adults. It instills in them confidence and trust and security that stays with them their whole life and really allows for them to be strong, secure adults, she says.
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"I realized by God blessing me with two little boys that we very quickly want those boys to toughen up," she explains. "It's a moment when they're going to say, 'Hey, it's okay to share your feelings, because ultimately, guys sharing their feelings — doesn't that make the best husbands, the best fathers?"
"I have had grown men come up to me and say, 'I still want one more hug from my mom!'" ❤️