Touching words
from the mouth of children.
A group of professional people posed this question to a group
of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The
answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could
have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend
over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it
for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too.
That's love." Rebecca- age 8
When someone
loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just
know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age
4
"Love is
when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne
and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5
"Love is
when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French
fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chris
- age 6
"Love is
what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4
"Love is
when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip
before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7
"Love is
when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of
kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My
Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they
kiss" Emily - age 8
"Love is
what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening
presents and listen." Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
"If you
want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend
who you hate," Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more
Nikka's on this planet)
"Love is
when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it
everyday." Noelle - age 7
"Love is
like a little old woman and a little old man who are still
friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy -
age 6
"During my
piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at
all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and
smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared
anymore." Cindy - age 8
"My mommy
loves me more than anybody . You don't see anyone else kissing
me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6
"Love is
when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5
"Love is
when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is
handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7
"Love is
when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone
all day." Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my
older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes
and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4
"When you
love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars
come out of you." (what an imagination) Karen - age 7
"Love is
when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's
gross." Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean
it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People
forget." Jessica - age 8
And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once
talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of
the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was
a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly
gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man
cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard,
climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother
asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,
"Nothing, I just helped him cry".
(Back)
