Hugs, hand holding and kissing are all normal scenes in our home.
I love you is a daily statement between all of us.
And yes, I can usually count on a butt smack when I walk past my husband.
We’ve never hidden the affection and love we have for each other from our children. I think it’s great for kids to see Mom and Dad putting their relationship first. Most of the time, especially in today’s society, the opposite happens. Parents are making their kids a priority and at the end of the day, they just don’t have any time left for each other.
Why is affection in front of your kids important?
1. You’re showing them a healthy marriage
It’s so important that our kids can watch us giving our spouse love and respect. That they can see we are still pursuing our spouses heart. The byproduct is that my kids see their parents dating.
Our kids are watching us. They are learning to be comfortable with affection and to be affectionate with their own partner in the long run. Kiss your husband, dance with him and hold his hand. Pursue his heart. Show them your romance. What an absolutely perfect place for them to learn about love!
And think about it, if Christian marriages look boring why would our kids want to grow up and have one of their own? We need to show them that even though what the world has to offer looks fun and exciting, a Christian marriage can blow that out of the water! They will undoubtedly pick up certain things from media and movies but the most important lessons come from you! We need to be modeling a healthy, fun and exciting marriage to our children if we want to have any hope of them wanting it for themselves. This constantly teaches something healthy to counter the constant barrage of media, pop culture and peer influence.
We are not only telling our kids what a happy, healthy marriage looks like, we are showing them.
2. You’re giving them security
When children see their parents giving each other time, affection, and respect it is a reassurance of our love and makes them feel secure.
They can see their parents taking care of themselves so that frees that up to enjoy being a child. They don’t have to worry about Mommy and Daddy because they take care of each other. Seeing parents happy together breeds emotionally healthy children.
Whether we know it or not, our kids worry about divorce. They hear at school about their friends parents getting a divorce, and it makes their little minds wonder about their parents. When they see affection between their parents, and can see their parents love each other, it squelches those fears and gives them security.
3. You are helping your marriage!
There is power in a kiss, even if it happens while you’re cooking dinner. Kissing brings a spike in dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin. This increases feelings of pleasure, longing and contentment. And it fosters bonding. So that kiss while you’re cooking is really helping your marriage!
Kissing is an essential act of marital intimacy. I am a big supporter of pursuing your mans heart and being intentional about intimacy. That is apparent by reading my series called Intimacy Ignited. You will have a better, more fulfilling marriage if you’re kissing often.
So go ahead, embarrass your littles. Show them you’re healthy marriage. Pursue your husbands heart and plant a big ole’ smooch on him today.
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