Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Wanting to hear the three magic words

River doesn’t tell us he loves us. He’s said it to me perhaps two or three times in his life. I don’t know if he’s ever said it to Mark. One might start to think he’s autistic or something, except that he is sensitive, loving and happy. He’s proud of his family and will say he has the best family in the world. He enjoys the book Mi Mama, where the child narrator describes what a super mother s/he has. He gives hugs and kisses and does kind, considerate acts

I’d mentioned this to Mark lately, how other little kids seem to tell their parents they love them, but we don’t hear it from River. I even know a parent of a three year old whose child has told her he hates her. We don’t get words of love or hate. Then on our night away, our waitress told us she has an 18-month-old and she’s so cute because she’s always telling the mom she loves her and giving her hugs.

Mark and I both tell River we love him multiple times a day. When I tell him that, he either says nothing or says, “Yes.”

It is that girls say these things more so than boys? Or is River unusual as a three-year-old who doesn’t express love in words, but does in actions.

1 comment:

LazyBones said...

Our son has recently started saying "I love you" or (more often) "I love you too," but he does not kiss us, or anyone else. Hugs are cool, and he is very snuggly, but if you ask for a kiss he will offer his cheek! He will kiss his sister's fingers (usually what I offer when she is asleep and he wants to say goodnight--offering her head would be too rough and wake her up!), but it's kind of a fake kiss--he says "muah" and barely brushed her hand with his mouth. He's smart enough to know what a kiss is, so I can only guess he doesn't want to offer one. I try to take it in stride, knowing he's a loving soul in his own way. Although I do wonder about it!