Some of the most precious moments that I had with the kids when I worked at a home in the Philippines came at bedtime. It is SO important to teach kids how to give and to receive love. One of my naturally affectionate little ones had no trouble picking up on the bedtime routine. A hug, kiss on the cheek, and I always made sure to say "I love you." Those are the three most important words you can say to another person. They provide the child with a sense of security. I will say one thing though...that some kids don't WANT a hug at night. And you soon figure out which ones they are, and always ask :). You never want to force them to hug you if they would rather not, but it's always important to offer as well. Sometimes they WILL take you up on your offer. But this little lady in particular...I think her love language had to be touch. She always wanted someone to hold her, and at 4 years old was pretty irresistible. It got to the point where one or two of the girls would start initiating it. They would kiss me on the cheek and say "I love you." It was precious...just melts your heart.
One night though...it got a little bit funny. I was in the room with 4 of the little girls. Everyone had a hug. "Miss Irresistible" decides she needs another hug, as does one of the other girls, and I had the other 4 year old get out of bed, so I put her back in...and to be fair, have to go around the room and give everyone a second hug. When I have finished with that, little sweetheart decides that she is in need of a third hug. So I make my way around the room again. Then she decides she needs a fourth hug. After that, I had to set a limit and realized she was sweetly trying to manipulate me into prolonging the bedtime routine. So hard to resist them, but you have to learn when it's becoming a game and when enough is enough. I really couldn't help but smile though.
Hard to resist this precious little face. I have to giggle when I look at the pictures I took with her. She is making the funniest faces. But she really was a little charmer.
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