Sharing the Love

Little P is a hugger. She really is. And I'm good with that. 

She doesn't think twice about going up to someone and saying 'Hug?'. It's kind of cute. And for the most part it doesn't cause me any concern, because she's hugging people we know, especially her little friends. Witness exhibit A:

                   (and a big shout out to my very talented friend Rochelle for catching this photo).

But there have been times when she has gone up to a complete stranger (an adult), raised her hands up and said 'Hug?' to them. This usually results in a slightly concerned look from said grown up as they look to me to see if a) it's something that she normally does and b) if I am okay with them giving her a hug. My general response in this is 'It's okay. She likes to hug people.' The result is a somewhat surprised adult cracking a smile and Little P getting her hug. 

I actually think she picks people who might be having a bad day - it's almost like she can tell they need someone to say it's going to be okay, but since she can't do that (not yet at least) she offers up a hug.

The other day however, kind of caught me off guard. We were walking around a local Target, picking up a few little things, when she makes a dash down the aisle. Somewhat concerned that she's making a run for it, I chase after her, turn the corner, and find her standing next to what can only be described as a brick wall. The guy was huge. Not fat, just really tall and really built. He looked like a line backer. And Little P had gone straight up to him without any hesitation and said 'Hug?'. Not surprisingly he looked straight at me and asks 'Is it okay?'. I was still recovering from seeing how big this guy was, that I just kind of nodded my head. He scoops her up, she gives him the biggest squeeze, and as he puts her back down he says 'Thank you little lady. I needed that.' 

It turned out that he had just found out that his mother had been diagnosed with breast cancer - literally moments before Little P had come up to him to give him a hug. I'm telling you, this little one just knows when someone needs a little pick me up.

And I'm just fine with that. Who doesn't need a hug every now and then?

Till next time, keep on squeezing and sharing the love.

K