Sometimes when I’m kissing the younger boys they like to tease and protest, telling me “I’m wiping your kiss off”. I always tell them, “It’s too late, it already soaked in to your bones.”
Today I had The Manager pinned to the floor and I was kissing him all over his face while he was giggling and trying to wriggle away. He wanted me to go sign him into his game on the computer and I was wasting his time with all that affection. I told him that kissing was required for a boy to grow big and strong, and that I was making his bones stronger and his heart healthier. He laughed even harder when I told him that I was giving him a Force Shield Of Looooove.
It occurs to me though, that what I said is true. Expressions of love and affection given to children do strengthen them physically and spiritually. By taking the time to throw in the extra kiss or hug or wrestling match (I have boys, what can I say??) I’m filling up their love buckets and giving them a reserve power supply as it were.
So have you loved on your kid today? More than once? Here’s a challenge to you, dear readers: tell your kid how much you love him/her 5 times. It could be IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou all at once or maybe you split it out over different episodes. Go on, be creative! And let us know what you came up with.
Earnest Parenting: help for parents who love their children.
Here’s another way to look at it.
Everybody has emotional bank accounts.
Too often we make withdrawals. So spend more of your time making deposits with kindness, service, keeping promises and asking for forgiveness when needed.
Great post..
The biggest gift we can give our children is not just love… the most important AND difficult part is gving them the BELIEF that they are loved. Sadly many children are loved by their parents, and yet as teenagers or even adults don’t have the belief of being loved unconditionally…
Its all in the subconscious… and you can give a child that belief easier than you think.
@Mike: yikes, I thought I’d answered you on this. So sorry! Didn’t mean to neglect. I so appreciated your comment and pondered it deeply, then I didn’t let you know. Bad me! There’s nothing else to add to your wisdom except to suggest that folks should see your extended thoughts on emotional bank accounts over at your blog. It’s an excellent post.
@NextStep: Wow, that’s so true. My father-in-law loves to point out that children don’t live up to our expectations of them, rather they live up to what they think our expectations of them are.
I disagree that it’s all subconscious or that only 5 minutes a day would do the whole trick, but your link is a good place to start.
Parenting is about building a relationship, and that takes a full-time effort just as any relationship does. If however, a parent is struggling or unsure in this regard then I definitely suggest they check the technique out. Telling your kid you love them more often is always a good thing.