We’re a very cuddly family. Most kids tend to be pretty amenable to hugs of course, but Jack, in my humble opinion, gives very good hugs.

In the first place, he is not afraid to ask for a cuddle. Either when he feels upset, or when he just wants a bit of comfort. On a superficial level, it’s good to know he’s not afraid to ask for a hug.

But on a slightly deeper level, I believe he understands that a cuddle is good for reconciliation. It’s what you do after you’ve had an argument, or after you’ve told someone off.

Basically, it’s a nice way to ‘make up’ after a trivial altercation. And, as I’m sure all parents will agree, most altercations between toddlers and adults are trivial.

He also has a knack – as do so many kids – of recognising when someone is in need of a hug.

Whether it’s first thing in the morning, when we’re feeling particularly unhappy about the prospect of getting out of bed, or after a stressful day at work – Jack is always keen to dish out hugs to help quell any passing misery or unhappiness.

It’s not just hugs for us parents either. It turns out Jack has been routinely offering hugs at school too. Tearful friends will be offered a conciliatory arm by Jack on a fairly regular basis, we are told.

In a recent case, Jack had learned that one of his nursery teachers had a bad knee. This got worse over the week, and on the morning of one of the more ‘painful’ days, Jack reportedly walked through the door after lunch and gave Ms Bates a cuddle “to make her sore knee feel better”.

Of course, I’m sure more than a few of these ‘hugs’ are conducted with a motive. Most obviously, when a cuddle is accompanied by the phrase “can I have a star on my star chart now“?

However, in the main, Jack’s cuddles are heartfelt, and that makes me really happy. There’s really no better habit to have than being willing to give a hug to someone that needs it.