What is Love? Out of the Mouths of
Babes!
A group of professional people
posed this question to a group of 4 to 8
year-olds, "What does love mean?" The
answers they got were broader and deeper
than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
* * * * *
"When my
grandma got arthritis, she couldn't bend
over and paint her toenails anymore. So my
grandpa does it for
her all the time, 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 know that 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're
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 with you at
Christmas
if
you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7
"If you want to learn to love better,
you should
start with a friend who you hate."
Nikka - age 6
"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,
then he
wears it everyday."
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 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
wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody.
You don't
see anyone else
kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best
piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy 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 and 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
she 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 a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the
contest was to find the most caring child.
The winner was 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 him what he had said to the
neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just
helped him cry."
Return to: