WHAT DOES LOVE MEAN?

Subject: Love - - - A group of professional people posted this question to a group of 4 to 8-year-olds. "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined:

When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouths. Billy age 4.

Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving Cologne and they go out and smell each other. Kari- age 5.

Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs. Chrissy age 6.

Love is what makes you smile when you're tired. Terri age 4.

Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK. Danny age 7.

Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My mommy and daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss. Emily age 8.

Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen. Bobby age 7. (wow!)

If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate. Nikka age 6.

Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt; then he wears it everyday. Noelle age 7.

Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well. Tommy age 6.

During my piano recital, I was on stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore. Cindy age 8.

My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night. Clare age 6.

Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken. Elaine age 5.

Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford. Chris age 7.

Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day. Mary Ann age 4.

When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down, and little stars come out of you. Karen age 7.

Love is when mommy sees daddy on the toilet and doesn't think it's gross. Mark age 6.

You really shouldn't say "I LOVE YOU" unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget. Jessica age 8.

And the winner was a 4-year-old child whose next-door neighbour was an elderly man who had just lost his wife. When the child saw the man cry, the little boy went over into the man's yard and climbed on top of the man's lap and just sat there. When the boy's mother asked him what he'd said to the neighbour, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."