Mark Nichols (1989 - 1998) with his mother, Michelle Nichols

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Why I Launched Global Hug Your Kids Day

by Michelle Nichols

For general audiences

Word count: 388

I’m a mom who works. You’re probably a working parent too, or married to one. It’s a struggle to juggle the demands of work and family.

Oh, I’ve read some articles on “how to balance work and family.” But let’s face it, how are you supposed to “balance” your livelihood and your life? I mean, most of us need to work – and we also love our families. The truth is, if you lost your job, you could probably get another one. However, if one of your kids died, he or she couldn’t be replaced.

Ouch!
Unfortunately, I learned this truth from experience. My son, Mark Nichols, died 10 years ago this July, when he was 8 ½ years old. The doctors thought he just had the flu, and 11 days later, he died of brain cancer. Mark was a good student, a dutiful Cub Scout, and a kind friend. He played Little League baseball, soccer and basketball. We miss his big smile, funny jokes and warm hugs.

Billboards of Love
On the fifth anniversary of Mark's death, our family was living in Houston Texas. We had two identical billboards put up along major highways that read, “Hug Your Kids Today. We Wish We Could. In Memory of Mark Nichols.1989-1998.” The local ABC-TV station aired a touching story about the billboards and our family.

The response to the billboards was so awesome that five years later, in 2008, I started National Hug Your Kids Day. It was a nationwide holiday with digital billboards that said “Hug Your Kids Today” across the U.S. It was announced on eight Major League Baseball Jumbotrons. There are also YouTube videos, and I launched the handbook, Hug Your Kids Today! 5 Key Lessons for Every Working Parent. In 2010, we expanded our vision and renamed it Global Hug Your Kids Day.

Dads Love Their Kids Too
One of my biggest surprises in launching Global Hug Your Kids Day is learning how much dads love their kids. (‘Sorry for my ignorance, men.) Fifty percent of my raving fans for this project are dads. When I mention this to them, they tell me, “Of course I love my kids.”

Now go hug your kids. Hug your spouse too. And remember 2011 Global Hug Your Kids Day is Monday, July 18. Please help us spread the word!

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© 2011 Michelle Nichols. All rights reserved.
Michelle Nichols is a cutting-edge thinker, author and speaker on work-life issues. She is also the founder of Global Hug Your Kids Day. Her award-winning book, Hug Your Kids Today! 5 Key Lessons for Every Working Parent, is available at Amazon.com and at her website. Formerly, she was the Savvy Selling columnist for BusinessWeek.com, a long-time sales professional, and a five-time entrepreneur. For more information: http://www.HugYourKidsDay.com or (775) 303-8201.

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