My Native Tongue.....

I'm reading this book about the 5 Love Languages of Children, by Gary Chapman.....and it's made me think about what makes me tick.....

He lists the five ways we feel love as through:

Quality Time,

Words of Affirmation,

Gifts,

Acts of Service,

and Physical Touch.

It's certainly worth reading....in any of it's versions (for Couples, for Teenages, for Children, etc)

Check out The Five Love Languages, now....before you forget!

So my goal is to identify my kid's love languages and to keep their 'Love Tanks' filled up.......ensuring that THEY feel loved....but in the meantime, I have to figure out what MY primary Love Language is.....

Now without going into excessive detail, I am pretty sure that I FEEL loved when I am receiving something/or to put it another way...when someone is speaking my primary Love Language of Gifts.....Case in point: my birthday week:

Whether it's friends devoting their time to make sushi.......

or flexing their baking muscles fashioning a homemade cheesecake.....

or crocheting my adorable new mascot.......

I felt loved last night.....celebrating the second of my birthday days in 2009!

In case you're wondering....
My FIRST birthday celebration involved an AMAZING pedicure.......

treated by a dear friend.....

Now do I think I'm materialistic? Nah, but I certainly associate 'getting' with 'loving'......

so it's very interesting that I enjoy when my birthdays drag on for a week or two....the longer the better....that way MORE people can share in the celebration! It's not meant to be selfish.....I just love parties!! And I love having a reason TO party!

And truly, God has surrounded me with some majorly generous hearts that seem to KNOW how to speak to MY heart.

A hug would be nice, kind words are wonderful, just 'doing' things out of kindness is good.....but when I receive something...in my mind I KNOW that I am loved, no question about it. I'm sure I sound terribly selfish....but according to Dr. Chapman I'm normal.

Ah, sweet validation!

It's all making so much sense too....how I felt about my parents growing up. I knew they loved me.....and I knew I was spoiled....to an extent...I received anything I wanted.....if I whined enough....and I think they spoke a similar language too......since they showered me with the things I asked for.

The beauty of this journey is that there is hope for all of us. Those of use who emphasize one gift over another.....we can learn to appreciate love in ALL it's forms!

I need to work on the Love Language of Touch. One of my kids has this one....and I am SO NOT a SNUGGLER! I'll rub my kid's backs at night, or read a book to them in my lap, but I have to make a conscious effort to pat their head throughout the day, or randomly grab them for a hug. I'm not good at spooning my hubby, I would rather sprawl on my tummy. But in the meantime I've cheated us all out of a beautiful, and necessary side of love.

So my goal is to identify each of our kid's, as well as my hubby's language......only then can I Love and Be Loved! I am excited to start this year off right! A new birthday means a new resolution....and what better resolution than to LOVE BETTER!