Saying “I love you”

Charlie is very free with his hugs, his kisses, and his I-love-yous. You just prompt him, and most of the time he’ll open his arms to whoever you’ve pointed out.

“Give Daddy a hug.” Done.

“Say, ‘I love you, Nanny.” Done.

If he decides to throw himself at you, which he does frequently for his friends, you’ll get a big squeeze.

If you ask for yourself, though—”Can I have a hug?”—you’ll only get one half the time.

Which made what he said tonight even sweeter.

We were sitting on the couch watching a little “Big Bird” and getting his nebulizer treatment ready. (It’s a ten-minute-long thing, so the TV helps him stay still and relaxed.)

He laid his head on my shoulder, like he does when he’s tired. But this time, when I leaned down to look at him, he said, “I love you, Mama.”

I smiled really big.

He smiled really big.

My heart turned over in my chest.

“I love you, too, Charlie.”

Tags: affection, love, toddler