They say that love makes the world go round.
It definitely makes going round the world more pleasant!
Love is an essential element in our lives. We can share our feelings with those we love on Valentine’s Day, of course. But we can and should also find ways to say “I love you” to parents, children, significant others, friends, family members, pets…on a daily basis.
One way to say I love you to your children is to share past experiences with them. Earlier this week, I did a guest post on Bob Brody’s Letters to My Kids blog, sharing with my children how I met their dad.
Dear Jason, Peter and Caroline,
Your future dad and I met as freshmen in college. I sat in front of him in English 1.1 and he sat in front of me in Social Science. Both of us were dating other people pretty seriously. And so for the first two months of the Fall semester, we were just classmates who spoke with each other as we walked into or out of the room.
Then came November 22, 1963. The intercom crackled. “The President is dead!” a voice declared.
For several moments no one reacted. And then everyone did. Screaming. Crying. Young men pounding their fists on their desks.
As we all exited the classroom, your future dad was right behind me.
“I’m going to walk home!” I exclaimed to no one in particular. “I can’t face sitting on the bus squashed between hordes of people!”
“I’ll walk with you,” the voice behind me said. “Where do you live?”
As it happened, we lived only four streets away from each other.
By the way, there are some girls who look fantastic even when they cry. If only I were one of those. Whatever eye makeup I was wearing was smudged and probably dripping onto my cheeks and chin. Plus, my nose was red and my skin blotchy. Hardly attractive!
No matter. Your future dad and I walked and talked for over an hour till we reached my house. And when we looked at each other, I know we saw into each other’s souls and we wanted to walk and talk together forever.
Our relationship grew stronger and closer during that next semester. By the summer, we were dating each other exclusively. We got married as soon as we graduated from college. And our relationship has flourished ever since. To this day, we remain the most loyal of soul-mates.
Out of tragedy, then, came an unexpected opportunity for love. In a sense, sad to say, it took a death to bring you all to life. We’ve never forgotten that, and we never will. And neither should any of you.
Love,
Mom
Children love to hear about how their parents met. They want to know about their parents’ childhoods…did dad get into trouble for misbehaving in school…did mom play with dolls or tag after an older brother. Kids enjoy hearing about when they were babies. Writing letters to your children helps give them the knowledge of experiences and strengthena their feeling of belonging…a very important component of self-esteem!
What kind of letters will you write to your children or other loved ones?
Please come by tomorrow for Perfect Picture Book Friday!
VOTING DEADLINE: If you have the time, please visit Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog where you can VOTE for one of the six finalists in the Unlikely Valentine Contest…I’m honored to be among those six…but I can honestly say that there were dozens of awesome stories and poems entered…what a talented community of writers! The poll closes Thursday, February 16 at noon…so hurry over, read the six Unlikely Valentine stories and VOTE!
VIVIAN KIRKFIELD - Writer for Children 