Love Language

Steve treated the kids and I to a wonderful dinner and then to the Lego Movie. I first want to say that the Lego movie is AWESOME! I am still singing the Everything is Awesome song! Totally recommend this movie! The next thing I have to say is a little eye opening about myself. I find it hard to accept "gifts" from people, be it treating me and my kids to dinner and a movie or 3 day Comic-Con ticket passes. My mind somehow takes the concepts of gifts and turns it into pity or charity. The odd thing about that is it's exactly how I show my love language. I am fully willing to spend my last $5 on something for my kids or a friend if I know it is something that will make them smile. But the thought that someone might do the same for me doesn't sit well on my mind. When I want to show someone I have been thinking about them, I buy them something or bake them something. I love watching someone eat and appreciate something I have taken time to bake. It is no word of a lie that I get a better feeling Christmas morning watching everyone opening their presents than I ever do opening mine (not that I don't appreciate what I get!!!). I don't know when I started to reject gifts, maybe from not having very much money for so long, but now it is almost instinctual. Before the kids and I met up with Steve I had a long chat with them about not asking for things, about Steve's giving nature, that I was to hear NO gimmies. And Steve was. Generous that is. Asking the kids what they wanted to eat, what treats they wanted, where they wanted to wander while waiting for the movie. My kids aren't used to that. Being given options that cost money. And with each interaction I silently scolded my kids (with the "mom eyes") about asking for things and I kept saying that everything was too expensive to him. Then Steve said something to me while we were finishing dinner. He had a sad look on his face and said to me that he didn't want our only memories of the night being about money. And it's true. That was how I was turning our entire evening. And with that realization, even though I was cringing on the inside, I let it go. I went with the flow. I bit my lip and smiled and said thank you. And you know what? Everyone was much happier. Even me :-)