this week, we reach out & touch.
When my kids were younger, I remember feeling all touched out. I had held, comforted, picked-up, soothed, all day long. By the end of the day the last thing I wanted to do was touch anyone, ever again. I just wanted to be blissfully alone. in silence.
and then, on not-enough-hours-of-sleep, the whole process would begin again the next day. And I wished all over again to have less contact. But it turns out, touching less isn’t the answer. It is actually touching more.
Because that first kind of touching? that is care-giving touch. It is good, and it is right, and it is important. And what we need even more is connection touch. The touch that means I love you. The touch that shows I want to reach out to you. The touch that says I am interrupting the routine of the day to stop, to really see you. To be with you. To appreciate all that you are. right now.
And now that my children are older, I no longer give as much care-giving touch. And because of that, the connection touch becomes even more vital. We may not be able to snuggle our now-nearly-taller-than-we-are teens on our laps as easily, but it doesn’t mean that they don’t yearn for it.
No matter your child’s age- whether they are still in your arms or always running at arm’s length…How can we reach out & touch? How can we use touch to create connection? huge hugs. ruffled hair. hold hands. high-fives. secret hand shakes. rubbing a sore muscle. touching a cheek. everything counts. it isn’t the action alone, it is the intention. the connection. being mindful as we do it to connect emotionally as well. to reach out with our feelings, so that our love is felt.
So this week, let’s make those mini-moments happen. reach out & touch.
Monday: brainstorm with your sumbud. What are good ways to connect? what are good times of day? how can this be both spontaneous and intentional? do you have a goal? 1 touch a day? 2? 3? what feels do-able?
Tuesday: put your conscious connection plan into action. try it out.
Wednesday: try it again. practice works.
Thursday: look through your remaining values list. Which one jumps out at you for the week ahead? How are you going to highlight it? How do you want it to touch the lives of your kiddos? Need some ideas on how to make it happen? click here.
Friday: how did it feel to {re}connect with your kiddos this way? Pull out your weekly calendar. See the sweet space for feelings? When you think about all the connection this week, how do you feel? record it here. just a word. or two. to remember the love.