Hold Them Close

I'll be the first to admit I know little about raising kids. After they hit the ripe age of about 18 months old, they have achieved the status of being smarter and wiser than me. Is this sobering? Why yes, it is, thanks for asking.
Along the way as I'm still faking like I know what I'm doing and trying to doop them into thinking I AM smarter than them, I'll get these little inklings of how to build the type of relationship with my kids that I'm going after. And when I get that inkling, I latch on. Because it might be my only saving grace for a while!
Anyway, all of this is to say simply, that I believe in the power of touch. Any opportunity I have to physically connect with my kids- holding hands, them sitting on my lap, cuddling, etc- I take it. I, in fact, look to create those opportunities. I guess I feel like the closer we are physically, it will give us more of a chance to build those relationships that can't be seen with the eyes. We're more likely to have sincere conversations if we're physically closer. They're more likely to feel my love if my arms are physically wrapped around them. I always feel like this stage of child rearing I'm in- where they're no longer babies but aren't yet preteens or teens- is a gift, where we can build the foundation for those cursed teenage years. I'm trying to take advantage and can only hope that inkling I had actually carries weight.