We all know there are moments when it takes a great deal of intention to express love to our children. Sometimes we need help–extra motivation, some new ideas. So when one of our editors saw this list on Facebook, we knew we wanted to share it with our community.
On her blog, Creative with Kids, Alissa Marquess put together a list entitled 100 Ways to be Kind to Your Child. She’s broken her list into sections, and each is filled do-able, simple, small things we can do to show our children kindness. As she notes, “These are just little shifts, but they add up.”
We especially loved this section:
Tell them:
11. The story of their birth or adoption.
12. About how you cuddled them when they were a baby.
13. The story of their name.
14. A story about yourself when you were their age.
15. The story of how their grandparents met.
16. What your favorite color is.
17. That sometimes you struggle too.
18. That when you’re holding hands and you give three squeezes, it’s a secret code that means, “I love you”.
19. What the plan is.
20. What you’re doing right now.
And this one:
Try:
35. To get enough sleep.
36. To drink enough water.
37. To eat decent food.
38. Dressing in a way that makes you feel confident and comfortable.
39. Calling a friend the next time you feel like you are about to lose it with the kids.
40. Giving a gentle touch to show approval, rather than saying something.
41. Dancing in the kitchen.
42. To get your kids to bop to the music with you in the car.
43. Showing your kids that you can do a somersault or handstand or a cartwheel.
44. Keeping the sigh to yourself. Just jump in and help clean up.
45. Using a kind voice, even if you have to fake it.
But really, the whole list is fantastic. Click over to Alissa’s blog to read the whole thing. And then choose one or two or more things you can do today to show your children you love them.
I love these!