Are you ready to dive into learning about Dr. Chapman’s love language #1, physical touch? I was surprised to learn the following. In Dr. Chapman and Ross Campbell’s The 5 Love Languages of Children these authors state, “Studies indicate that many parents touch their children only when it’s necessary: when they are dressing them, putting them in the car, or carrying them to bed. It seems that many parents are unaware of how much their children need to be touched and how easily, they can use this means to keep their children’s emotional tanks filled with unconditional love”. I totally agree with Dr. Chapman and Ross Campbell when they state physical love is the easiest love language to use unconditionally, because parents need no special occasion or excuse to make some sort of physical contact with their child.

• We all know what it feels like when someone we care about uses touch to communicate love and positive feelings towards us. Maybe it’s just their hand on our shoulder or arm, or a gentle pat on the back. The message our loved one is sending by a gentle physical touch is they love/care about us. When this happens to me, I feel loved. How about you?

  Other than showing physical touch in the more obvious ways (hugging and kissing), I like that The 5 Love Languages of Children offers some additional ways to communicate love to your child through touch. For younger children, children love to be held and cuddled, sit on your lap while you are talking and reading with them and enjoy having adults play piggyback with them. Older children love all these ways as well, but some older children are more comfortable with more subtle ways of physical touch, like receiving a high 5, a gentle soft squeeze on the shoulder, or a bear hug. Always follow your child’s lead how they best respond to expressions of love through physical touch. 

  If your dominate love language is physical touch and your child’s is as well, expressing your love through physical touch may come more naturally. You just “know” what your child needs from you. If physical touch isn’t your dominate love language, you might need to be more intentional in the beginning expressing your love through touch. But we promise, the more you practice, the easier it gets….

   

  Please join us next time as we talk about the love language #2, Words of Affirmation.

   

  See you next time!