He Leapt into My Heart
About 10:30 a.m., two days before Christmas in 1982, we received a phone call that changed our lives forever. I was in the garage working on some Christmas toys when my wife called me to the phone. I stopped what I was doing and went to answer it.
When I picked it up the woman on the other end said, “We have a little boy who was born yesterday and we wondered if you would like to adopt him?”
Tears flowed freely down our cheeks and in unison we replied, “Yes!” After nine years of hoping and praying and waiting we were grateful that this day finally came.
We wanted this little boy more than anything in the world. And even though we had never met him we already loved him. We knew that he was an answer to our prayers and belonged in our family.
We changed our clothes and rushed to the hospital to visit our son. We cried when we saw him sleeping in a small incubator with wires in his head, arms, and feet. He was so small and yet so perfect.
As I walked towards him I had the most incredible experience. He was lying on his stomach sleeping, but his head was turned towards me, and then it happened. It felt as though his little spirit jumped out of his body and into my heart with his little arms trying to wrap themselves around my neck to give me a hug. At that special moment, my love for him was cemented and has only grown stronger as he has grown older.
Making time to give our children hugs, pats on the back, and telling them “I love you” will strengthen the bond that exists between parent and child. Just today, I had the opportunity to hug this baby, now a 33 year-old man and before he left I said, “I love you” without embarrassment or shame. Science may not be able to measure it but I know the connection we have with our children is real.
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Anne's Corner
The birth of a baby can be an amazing way to help your child deepen their sense of connection. It's a great time to talk about the nature of loving connections. How does love start? What keeps it alive? Is it worth it? Most children love to hear stories of their own birth and how you came to love and care about them. Tell these stories over and over so that they sink deep into their sense of themselves. Tell them stories about your own birth and the family you came from, your parents' births and their families. Research shows that children who know the stories of their family, the triumphs and the downfalls and the "how we got up from that" become more resilient. Feeling connected and part of something bigger than themselves will help your child be better prepared to face their own challenges now and in the future.
Anne's Corner
The birth of a baby can be an amazing way to help your child deepen their sense of connection. It's a great time to talk about the nature of loving connections. How does love start? What keeps it alive? Is it worth it? Most children love to hear stories of their own birth and how you came to love and care about them. Tell these stories over and over so that they sink deep into their sense of themselves. Tell them stories about your own birth and the family you came from, your parents' births and their families. Research shows that children who know the stories of their family, the triumphs and the downfalls and the "how we got up from that" become more resilient. Feeling connected and part of something bigger than themselves will help your child be better prepared to face their own challenges now and in the future. 