Valentine’s Day will be here in a few days and of course it means the celebration of love. There are lots of different kinds of love – romantic love, love for your children and certainly love for your parents and siblings. All of it is good and no one can describe it better than our children. Recently a friend shared thoughts of love from children as they answered questions.
First up, how do you decide who to marry?
“You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming.” Alan, age 10.
“No person really decides before they grow up who they’re going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you’re stuck with.” Kristen, age 10.
What is the right age to get married?
“Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person forever by then.” Camille, age 10.
How can a stranger tell if two people are married?
I love this – “You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.” Derrick, age 8.
What do you think your mom and dad have in common?
“Both don’t want any more kids.” Lori, age 8.
Is it better to be married or single?
“It’s better for girls to be single, but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.” Anita, age 9 (bless you child).
How would you make a marriage work?
“Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a dump truck.” Ricky, age 10.
What do most people do on a date?
“Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.” Lynnette, age 8 (isn’t she a treasure).
“On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough to go for a second date.” Martin, age 10.
When is it OK to kiss someone?
“The law says you have to be 18, so I wouldn’t want to mess with that.” Curt, age 7.
“The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have kids with them. It’s the right thing to do.” Howard, age 7.
What is love?
“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.” Karl, age 5.
“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” Chrissy, age 6.
“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I love him. I wasn’t scared anymore.” Cindy, age 8.
“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” Mary Ann, age 4.
“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore, so my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” Susan, age 7.
“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” Lauren, age 6.
“You really shouldn’t say, ‘I love you,’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” Jessica, age 8.
Maybe the best comment was from a four-year-old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.
Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing, I just helped him cry.”
These different expressions of love bring not only poignant moments, but obviously very funny ones, as children observe the world around them.
I wish you much love in your life. Happy Valentine’s Day!
(Melanie Behrens – melb@marysvillejt.com)