A
group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year old
kids, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than
anyone could have imagined. See what you think.
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her
toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it all the time for her, even
when
his hands got arthritis, too. That's love." - Rebecca, age 8.
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You
knowthat your name is safe in their mouth." - Billy, age 4.
"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.
"Love is what makes you smile when you are
tired." - Terri, age 4.
"Love is when my Mommy makes coffee for my
Daddy, and she takes a sip before giving it to him to make sure the taste is
OK." - Danny, age 7.
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then, when you
get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy
and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss." - Emily, age 8.
"Love is what's in the room at Christmas if you stop opening presents
and listen." - Bobby, age 7 (WOW!).
"If you want to love better, you
should start with a friend who you hate." -Nikka - age 8.
"There are two
kinds of love. Our love. God's love. But God makes both kinds of them." - Jenny,
age 8.
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, and he wears it
every day." - Noelle, age 7.
"Love is like a little old woman and a
little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." -
Tommy, age 6.
"During my piano recital, I was on stage and I was scared.
I looked at all the people watching me, and I saw my Daddy waving and smiling. I
wasn't
scared anymore." Cindy, age 8.
"My Mommy loves me more than
anyone. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." - Claire, age
6.
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." - Elaine,
age 5.
"Love is when Mom sees Dad smelly and sweaty, and still says he is
handsomer than Robert Redford." - Chris, age 7.
"Love is when your puppy
licks your face even after you left him alone all day." - Mary Ann, age 4.
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old
clothes and has to go out to buy new ones." - Lauren, age 4.
"When you
love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
- Karen, age 7.
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and doesn't
think it's gross." - Mark, 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.
And the final one -- author and lecturer, Leo
Buscaglia, once talked about the contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of
the contest was to find
the most caring child. The winner of the contest was
a 4 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 elderly gentleman's
yard and climbed onto his lap and just sat there. When his mother asked
him
what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just
helped him cry."