Listening Down

“I didn’t get to have fun with you today, Dad,”

My five year old son sat on the other end of his bed sadly. Never mind that we had spent the day kicking the ball around, playing a board game, chasing around the yard, and giggling at the playground.

Figure that one out.

Took me awhile, but I eventually was able to listen down enough levels to hear what he was really saying.

Not, “I didn’t have fun”, but “I don’t feel connected to you”.

Love to this oldest child of mine has always been spelled T-I-M-E. I’ve known that. But it had escaped me that it was Quality Time he needed in addition to Quantity.

Yeah, we had played, but we hadn’t really talked and connected. Like his mama, he needs someone to listen to him.

So I opened my arms, he crawled on my lap, and we talked about essentially nothing. Somehow it met his need and we said goodnight.

It’s possible to pour love on someone and them not feel a thing. Then what may seem the smallest thing to us can mean the world.