Sometimes, it’s as simple as how you say hello…

Spread the love

I went to pick my kids up from the Kids’ Club area of the gym after I’d finished working out, when I passed the window to the room that they were in.

My daughter saw me through the glass, jumped up, and waved.

And when I opened the door, she was standing at the front desk, smiling. “Mommy!” she said, hugging me tight.

I’d only been “gone” for an hour, but by the way she acted, you’d guess it had been a week.

Her sweet greeting seriously melted my heart. And it made me think…

How do I say hello to her?

I thought about the morning before, when I woke her up with a quick kiss on the forehead, then launched into a very rushed, “Don’t take too long getting ready because it’s our day to carpool. And you need to clean your room before we leave. It looks like a tornado came through here.”

I thought about when I’d picked my kids up from school that day, too. We’d walked through the park, passing others who were playing on the swings and buying ice-cream from the ice-cream truck. I shuffled my kids along, reminding them to hurry because we had to get to basketball. I barely registered their disappointed faces when I told them we didn’t have time for ice-cream.

And I realized how important even tiny interactions like this can be to our kids.

I want to make sure when I say hi to my kids, or to my husband, or to anyone, I’m doing it in a way that really acknowledges them. And I want to give the kind of greeting that focuses on that moment, not all of the things on the schedule ahead.

I truly appreciated how my daughter made me feel that day at the gym. And I appreciated the reminder to slow down and take the time to make my kids feel special.

Because I want them to know how much I love them.

With every single hello.

Greet one another with a kiss of love. 1 Peter 5:14

What do you think? Do you find yourself getting caught up in the schedule, forgetting how your interactions with your kids make them feel? What are some of the things you do to let your kids know how much you love them?

written by Genny Heikka

Stephanie Shott
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