LOVE YOU

I was sitting on the couch finishing up a phone call with my sister Liz when my son Alex came into the room. “Okay, so I’ll talk to you later.” I told her. “Have a good night.” While I was hanging up I saw a confused look on his face.

“Why don’t you say ‘love you’ at the end of your call like you do with us?” He asked.

That caught me off guard and had me thinking for a second. “I guess because my family has never been a ‘love you’ or a hugging group of people.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“But you are.” He came and sat at the other end of the couch.

I had to laugh. “That’s because I met your Dad.”

“What do you mean?” He kicked off his shoes, grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and laid down.

“Your Dad comes from a long line of hugging, cheek kissing, saying ‘I love you’ family.” I started to laugh. “I remember when I first brought him home to meet the family, he went up to my sister Donna, ready to give her a big bear hug and she backed up and put her arm up like she was trying to stop someone from assaulting her!”

Alex started to laugh.

“So actually your Dad’s the one who kind of mellowed my family. Now when we see each other we do kind of hug but I don’t think we’ll ever get to the ‘I love you’ place.”

“I feel kind of bad for your family.”

I shook my head. “Don’t. We just weren’t raised like that.” I sat back and thought about it. “Honestly, I never met my Dad’s parents but I know Mom’s parents never said it either.” I shrugged my shoulders again. “Different ways of growing up.”

“So how did you know your parents loved you?” He adjusted a pillow behind his head.

“Well, every time we left the house my Mom’s favorite phrase was ‘Be careful it’s slippery out.’” I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m guessing that was her ‘I love you.’”

“So what was your Dad’s?”

“Well, my Dad came from a family that believed that if there was food on the table and you had a warm bed, that was love.” I had to think for a moment. “But every once in a while he’d pat me on the top of the head when he walked by.” I got up to get a glass of water and as I headed for the kitchen I stopped to adjust the blanket for him and to kiss him on the top of his head. “I love you.”

“Love you, too!” He answered.

When I came back from the kitchen, holding my glass of water, Alex was standing up with his arms out for a hug.

I put my water glass on the coffee table and wrapped my arms around him.

“I’m glad Dad got you used to giving hugs and saying ‘I love you.’”

I gave him an extra squeeze before he gave me three quick pats on my back before letting me go. “Me too.”