Keep in Touch

I have three children, ages two, four, and seven. I have found that I feel the most love for them and they respond best to me when I literally keep in touch with them. When I seem less able to communicate with them and have less success in disciplining them, I invariably realize that for one reason or another it’s been a while since I’ve kissed or touched them in a loving way. Almost as soon as I make the effort to show more love to them, they respond by becoming more open, more affectionate, and more self-disciplined. It’s an action that speaks as loudly as words.—Ruth Gollihur, Alamogordo, New Mexico