Every night, my wife and I read books to our daughter, give her milk, and help her into her crib to sleep. Last night, I realized while we were reading books to her, that I had the opportunity to bless my wife by moving towards her at the same time we were moving towards our daughter through book reading.
While she was reading to our daughter, I stroked her hair.
After about 10 seconds, my wife looked towards me and let me know without words that she felt emotionally connected to me. It was a small, but important moment. I was supporting her emotionally at the same time we were supporting our daughter.
It is so easy to put all of our energy into our children because they have legitimate physical and emotional needs that go beyond our needs as adults. It is easy to forget to move towards each other in the midst of our children. Small moments like these, when we stroke our partner's hair in the midst of reading or feeding our children can go a long way over time.
Our wives need our strength and tenderness in the form of emotional connection with them during our time with our children. Small things like these go a long way over time.
Feel free to share this blog with the men in your life.
The above photo was taken with permission from flickr creative commons by Amy Loves Ya. https://www.flickr.com/photos/amylovesyah/