I remember when I was a child and my favorite movie was Home Alone. I watched that thing so many times until I had every word and scene memorized. I had other movies, sure, but I just enjoyed that story and I didn’t get tired of it even though I watched it repeatedly.
Children are like that. They like what they like, and if they like it, they don’t get tired of it. It is refreshing and heartwarming. When my Prince wakes up from his naps – multiple times a day – he is so happy to see me. On occasion I’ve thought, doesn’t he just wake up and wonder why he does the same ole thing day in and day out? But there he is, every few hours, smiling like I’m the best looking thing in the world to him. It must be love.
1. Â They love us.
Whether or not you buy into this, it’s true. Children think their parents are heroes and heroines. They know there is a moon and they think we’ve hung it. Maybe they love us because we take care of them, meet their needs and loved them first. Probably they were just made to love us. When your kids act mad, defiant and rebellious they want to be loved. They want to know they are loved because they exist, not loved because they behave well.
2. They are happy to see us.
Every morning my husband gets up the kids, and most mornings as they come down the stairs I can hear them saying “Mama, where are you mama?” and “mama, mama, mama!” They run to my room and hug me and I think – even if I had been dreading the day ahead – I’m the luckiest woman on earth. After naps, when we return home from errands, and even after I’ve only gone in the other room for a few minutes, they are happy when I’m around. Children are not self-conscious to show their love and affection. In fact, they even ask for it!
3. They aren’t yet too cool for school.Â
Depending on your personality type, life experience and emotional basement issues, you may find it hard to express emotions. Some people’s hearts can be bubbling over with love and their face betray no emotion. Children don’t leave us to wonder how they are feeling, they simply share. When my son is feeling left out, he will try to remove anyone’s hands or arms that are touching me so that  I can be “all his.” When my daughter wants me to pay close attention to her she’ll say “mommy, look at me, talk to me!” They share how they feel, they are consistent with their needs and emotions, and they love unconditionally.
4. Â What if we could be like that?
What if we, as grown-ups, hadn’t learned that it’s not actually cool to be too loving. What if we hadn’t learned that loving hurts? What if we were able to process our own hearts and fears so we could love openly? Then, what if we became childlike (which the Bible recommends) in our affection and attention to our loved ones? Could we be excited every time our husbands came home? Could we heartily enjoy time with friends and family, even if we did the same thing we always do?  Maybe it’s because kids live in the present. They aren’t stressed from the busyness of life, they just live and love.
But you know what? Since I’ve had kids, I think I’ve become more like that. We probably have to. Because – even when I think I’m going to crack it and I just want to be alone – I get so excited to see them. Even if I’ve only been gone an hour. Even if they’ve destroyed the house. Their full acceptance of me and their love brings parts of my heart alive that were dormant before. While I might get tired of some behaviors, I don’t get tired of them. I want to be around them. I ask them to hug me and love me and kiss me. I tell them that I could just hug them and squeeze them and love them forever, even when they’ve left the house and started families of their own. Then I’ll love and hug and squeeze my grand babies.
There’s something about someone never getting tired of you that makes you never get tired of them.
Nana says
Amen…well said.