This piece was also submitted as part of the Write On Project: Love
image from http://hulkhogan.com/
My second son came downstairs tonight and said, “Dad, will you wrestle?” I said, “Are you sure?” He quickly replied, “I want to wrestle!”
I immediately grabbed him to begin the match and told me I was in the wrong room so I had to go upstairs to the living room and sit on the floor. Quickly, he let me know that wrestling to him meant me on the floor, him climbing up on the sofa, and me being jumped on. As we rolled around yelling like beasts the other kids joined in, even his soon-to-be two-year old sister. Each one wanted their turn in the full embrace of dad being tickled and pinned on the floor or in my arms.
I loved every minute of it!
As I thought more about it later that evening, he wasn’t telling me as much how he wanted to wrestle with me as much he was telling me how he wanted me to love him.
I firmly believe that the way our children interact with us is also the way they want us to love them. During our wrestling match, he wanted me to love him with physical touch. He wanted me to grab him, hold him, and squeeze him. The fact that I did that with him let him know that I love him.
This reminds me that I need to pay close attention to them and the way they interact with me. If they give me words of affection, I need to return words. If they come and just sit with me and want to watch a video or play a game, then I need to give them that time. When I respond to them, the way they interact with me it shows them love.
Do you have any clues you look for with your kids?
Deep Fried Daddy 
Ahin Chakraborty
July 21, 2011 at 11:23 am
Stephen, great post on the importance of connecting with your kids! Let me say that again – I really like this post. My two year old is very communicate even with his limited 40-50 words vocabulary. He normally says ‘daddy come’ and then points to whatever he wants to do or if he knows the word then he will say ‘daddy outside bubbles.’ I look for clues in what he is saying or what he is looking at.
Mind if I link to it in my next post?
Thanks a bunch for sharing your thoughts.
deepfrieddaddy
July 21, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Feel free to link to it. I’m glad you find it link worthy. Our kids are actually very good communicators once we figure out their “language” aren’t they?
Tim Miller
July 23, 2011 at 6:07 pm
I love this post. I loved wraslin’ (as we called it in Arkansas) with my Dad and brothers when I was younger. I was definitely a Hulkamaniac!! It was a great way for me and my brothers to connect with our dad.
Thanks for posting.