Shower Them With Love

Hi there! Sorry for not blogging in a while. Things have been pretty busy. We had a fun weekend with the kids in Vero Beach - and I'll tell you more about where we took them in a future blog this week (very cute place.) But right now I want to blog about this interesting study that we reported on in our 5 p.m. newscast tonight.

Researchers looked at hundreds of babies, and found that those whose mothers loved and kissed on them more than "normal" are better at coping with stress when they get older. So go ahead and spoil your kid rotten when it comes to showering them with affection.

This study was conducted over quite a few years. 482 children were followed until about the age of 34. And researchers watched how they responded to stress, hostility and anger, sensitivity and anxiety. They found those whose mothers had given them lots of love were better able to handle stress and anxiety.

The authors said, ''High levels of maternal affection are likely to facilitate secure levels of attachment and bonding, which then translate to lower distress levels in both childhood and adulthood.''

Isn't that amazing that what you're doing right now as a Mom to a young child can have such a tremendous impact on them for the rest of their life? I can't wait to shower my boys with kisses and hugs tomorrow morning! It's going to be good for them many years from now. 

If you'd like to read more on this study it's published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Psychologists looked at the interactions between mothers and their eight-month-old babies. They categorized levels of maternal affection as low (combining negative and occasionally negative), normal (warm) and high (caressing and extravagant). It determined that one in 10 moms show low levels of affection. Most, 85 percent, showed normal levels. And just six percent showed the high levels to their child.