Two nights ago my girl was having trouble sleeping and so I cuddled her for a while. Her arms tightly wrapped around my neck and her little hand gently patted my back as she whispered, “do you love me Mama?”  “I love you a lot, a lot, alot.” “Does Daddy love me?” “Daddy loves you a lot, a lot, a lot.” “Does Cecily love me?”  “Cecily loves you a lot too.” We snuggled quietly for a little longer before she whispered, “I love you a lot Mama.” “And I love Daddy alot.” “And I love Cecily a lot.” That taken care of, she snuggled down in her blankets and gave me a sleepy smile as she made the usual request. “Can you sing Zacchaeus when you go out?”
Now ideally, she would have gone to sleep then, however, she did get up a couple of times after that before succumbing to sleep. Cute as the conversation was it has really stuck with me since. How so early, kids start needing to be reassured that they are loved. It has been kind of a crazy week. I don’t do well with pressure and I have felt a little harried. My girls are sensitive to this and their need to know that they are loved rises. And I just keep being reminded that as their parents, we can give them the most ideal and simple life but if it is not filled with love they will be left wanting. And those little arms wrapped around my neck and the whispered “do you love me” were a timely reminder that I am blessed to love my girls and to show them continually what love is.