Public Displays of Affection

How often do you and your spouse show affection to one another in front of the kids? As a stay-at-home-mom, affection towards my husband is a must when he comes home from work. Not because he expects it but because our one-year-old daughter demands it.

Like many fathers, my husband gets treated like a celebrity when he comes home from work. Immediately when the front door unlocks my children make a mad dash to the front door knocking each other down and moving me out of the way. You would think the  man or Dora the Explorer was on the other side of the door. But no, it's just their dad. Don't get me wrong he is definitely the best father I have seen. It just amazes me how they are with me all day and never have I received such a level of excitement once I return home. When my husband comes home our children first yell with glee, then they dance in a circle and then they sing an original song that is all about daddy. And then they jump on him fighting to get into his arms first. Normally, I proceed to do other things like finish preparing dinner or cleaning, but lately my daughter has put a stop to that.

My daughter, Eliana, noticed how I don't sing and dance like they do when he comes home. So now she makes it her business to tell me that Daddy is home after she has finished her welcome home celebration and then looks at me as if I'm the odd ball in the group. She then pushes the back of my husband's legs in direction of me making sure we hug and kiss before the celebration ends. She's been encouraging affection between me and her father for a few weeks now. Recently, I realized that we have not shown affection towards each other. I'm not sure how we became so unaffectionate, but having Ellie remind us of the importance of affection has truly opened my eyes to how children need to see public displays of affection between their parents.

When I was a child I would cringe at the thought of my parents kissing or even hugging because they hugged a lot. But once I met my husband, I had an expectation of how he should treat me and how I should treat him because of the public displays of affection my parents showed each other. So for my very young daughter to be so pleased to see me hug her father, reminded me that in such a simple moment I am setting the foundation for what she expects in her marriage. With these simple actions, I am showing her a divine example of love.

With so many negative things going on outside of home, one thing for certain is that affection and love at home should be truly visible. Take time to display affection towards your spouse in front of the kids. Not to the point that they will be traumatized, but to the extent that they will know the two of you love each other.

Do you show affection to your spouse in front of your children? If so, how do the children respond? Click the comments icon and tell us.