A family life consultant, Dinma Nwobi has urged parents to intentionally hug their children 12 times daily as a show of support and love.
She said this would help reassure the children that they are not embarking on the strenuous journey of self-diiscovery alone.
Nwobi noted that the reassurance would help the children better able to cope with the process and tackle social vices such as drug abuse, and teenage and preteen suicide.
“Just recently , a J .S .S 3 student died of an overdose of Tramadol . The young teenager allegedly popped 10 tablets at once .
“The pressure from the media , the arts and entertainment world and the negative influences from peers can become confusing to a young child who is waddling the waters of self -discovery .
“The teenage years are a transition period. This phase of life is often characterised by identity crisis , self -esteem issues and the confusions associated with the changes in life , which a teenager has to undergo.
“The teenager doesn ’t feel like a child anymore yet the life of an adult seems shrouded in anxiety , pain , uncertainty , frustrations and disappointments .
“Sometimes, the pressure can be overwhelming and leave the child searching for ways to cope with the changes in his / her life . In the midst of these uncertainties , your child needs the certainty of love,” Nwobi was quoted as saying by Guardian.