"Me luf you"

Last night about midnight, Ella woke up crying. Alex went in to help her, but she ended up needing Mommy. I asked her if she needed to go potty. No. Did she want to sit and rock for a little bit? "No. Me need a drink." Ok, I said and picked her up. She wrapped her chubby, warm little arms around my neck in the dark and said softly "Me luf you Mama." It was the sweetest moment. She tells me she loves me frequently every day. And it made me think last night about how all my kids say "I love you" so often. They all tell me, Daddy, and each other that they love us every day. For a second I wondered why they do that. What makes them the kind of kids to say "I love you" whenever they feel their love swell in their hearts? But then I realized that they have parents who tell them they love them all the time. We have told them that from the minute they each were born. Even before they were born, I would silently chant "I LOVE YOU" to my growing belly, to the babies who danced there, waiting to enter the world. I love you, I love you, I love you. As many times as we can, every day. We want to make sure they know that they are loved. No matter what happened that day, no matter what struggles we faced, no matter how many times they were in time out or lost privileges, no matter how many rages they had, "I love you" is the most important message in our home. It surprised me to realize the kids are all picking up on that. When I thought about that last night, I was struck with gratitude for the fact that our kids 'get it', that they know how important it is to share love with each other. And that they feel loved enough to open their hearts to others. I think it's incredible that even our toddler understands this powerful message! I am happy and proud that my kids can easily express themselves in a loving way. With Ella's sweet arms wrapped around me last night, I felt complete contentedness. I wished I could stay in the moment forever. But we got her a drink, two actually, and went back to her room to rock in the dark with all her blankies and her special music. I never want to forget the feeling of her two-year-old arms clinging to me. I never want to forget the sound of her sweet little voice whispering that she "lufs" me in the darkness. Heaven.