Who is The Side-by-Side Hug?

The Side-by-Side Hug is when two people stand next to each other and hold on tightly like best friends at recess.

Imagine you and your friend both grab onto a big, soft balloon, not just one balloon, but the same one. You’re both holding it from either side, and you squeeze it together. That’s what the Side-by-Side Hug feels like: two people sharing something fun and strong, working as a team.

In this hug, you don’t wrap your arms around each other, instead, you stand side by side, like two trees next to each other in a forest. You both hold on, maybe with hands or arms, and together you create a powerful, friendly connection.

It’s like when you and your friend both pull the same rope at recess, you're not fighting, you're working together, and that makes the rope move easier.

This kind of hug shows how being close doesn’t always mean being wrapped around each other, sometimes it means standing together and holding on, just as friends do.