We have asked our children what speaks love to them. In other words, when do they feel most loved. This is a great way to discern their love language, how they best receive love.
There are four children in our house and they each hear love differently. One loves gifts, another needs physical touch, our boy likes quality time and our youngest thrives on words of affirmation. Sure, these aren’t the only ways they feel loved; just what speaks the loudest to them.
Recently, though it has become obvious that something is changing. The child that didn’t like being touched has started sitting really close to me on the couch. The one that use to like to be touched is pulling away, yet wants to spend a lot of time together. Our youngest still needs affirmation, but physical touch seems to have shot up on her chart too. Now days our son likes more time on his own, but he still wants to share every detail through stories when he gets home….and if we don’t seem interested, he doesn’t feel love.
Ever changing, and that’s ok. As parents we need to be careful
not to put our children in a mold they have out grown. Even as an adult, I feel this with my family; they sometimes want to hold me to what I was like when I was eighteen….I’ve changed! Our children may be changing too, be aware enough to flex and accept the way they are today.