Stressed? Call Your Mother!

Photo by lhumbl/StockXchange.com

Here's some affirmation for all you moms out there: Your kids need you--and you've got some new data to prove it.

According to Health.com, a new study shows that talking to your mom on the phone is almost as good as getting a hug when you're stressed out.

The study, which involved girls ages 7 to 12, found that talking on the phone with mom reduced a key stress hormone and released oxytocin, a brain chemical that is key in forming bonds.

When I read the study, I couldn't help but remember a now-funny incident that happened when I was a newlywed--a long, long time ago. I'd barely been married a month--and had moved across the country the day after the wedding. Yeah, I was happily married and homesick.

My husband and I took our wedding gift money and wisely invested it in . . . new bikes. (Who cares that we needed a couch.) One night we were out riding and I took a tumble. Somehow my husband got me and our two bikes back home. While he doctored my scrapes, I sat on our bed and cried. Before I realized what I was saying, I blurted out, "I want my mom."

What had I just said?

I was an adult, married woman.

And the minute I got a boo-boo, I reverted back to "I want my mom" behavior?

But, back then I didn't have this study to back up my words. Calling my mom would have reduced my stress.

Now you know.

Thinking Out Loud: Feeling stressed? Call your mom. You'll feel better--and your mom will too.