5 things every child should know about love

Kids hear this word all the time. LOVE. We are constantly reminding them, telling them how much we love them. We show them in the ways we care for and devote all our energy to their every day tasks, needs and wants. We show them in the hugs and kisses we can’t give them enough of. We show them in our examples of loving and caring for our spouses, our extended families and our friends.

Have you ever asked a child though, what does love mean to you?

I was listening to some old school Lauryn Hill the other day, and “the outro to Lost Ones”, (leading into “Ex Factor”), where the teacher asks the students if they know any love songs and then also heard the lyrics to that song, “Tell Him”, which inspired me to teach a yoga class to kids about love.

This past weekend, I asked a group of 8 and 9 year old girls in my class, “What does love mean to you?”

It was beautiful, the way they understood the simplicity of giving and receiving love.

One girl said, “The way I feel when my best friend hugs me.”

Another said, “My mom. That’s what love feels like.”

I lead the class by going through concepts of love that they would understand, in their everyday. But your kids don’t have to go to a yoga class to learn these, they are ones you can talk to them about, especially with Valentine’s Day right around the corner. It’s the perfect opportunity to educate your kids on the what love is and means to them. You will be surprised about how much they get, and how receptive they are to knowing. These ideas are not ones that I made up, they are instilled in ideologies around the world whether they are from religious texts, (Upanishads, Corinthians), or organizations, (Girl/Boy Scouts), but mostly, they are the truth about love, found in each and every one of our hearts.

1. Love is patient: Patience is a virtue… the saying we always hear and so very true. Teaching your children to be patient teaches them to love patiently.

2. Love is kind: It is the golden rule: to treat others how you would want to be treated. 

3. Love is selfless: generosity and compassion are the foundations to love…to love with an open heart, and that it will serve the world and you.

4. Love is not jealous: Being happy for others will only bring you joy. Feeling jealousy is never the path of love.

5. Self love: It is important to instill their own self-worth in them, so teaching our children to love themselves is just as equally important as teaching them to love others.

Any thoughts or ideas about sharing the concept of love with kids? Would LOVE to hear 😉

-Puja