Just get on the floor with them.
That’s my answer when people ask me what my children want for Christmas. Just get on the floor with them. Come, quite literally, down to their level.
My best friend hadn’t seen my daughter for almost a year, but on her recent visit, she did just that. She sat in the company of my child and found a way to connect.
Knowing that Campbell loves arts and crafts (and her mother can’t Pinterest a project to save her life), they went to the store and gathered supplies to paint the most majestic of pumpkins. When her visit was over, she gave Campbell a stuffed unicorn that she’s slept with every night since. She rubs it to her nose and asks it to help her dream about her Aunt Jenn.
She met my daughter where she was and what resulted was magic.
It’s hard to do this as a parent. You’re with your child so much, tending to their every want and need. Washing dishes and clothes, making appointments. Rushing. Buying. Busying.
But maybe if we too just made ourselves available, we’d find deeper connection.
Just get on the floor with them.
Because what children really need is presence, not presents.
To More Love,
Stephanie
