It is important to be affectionate with your kids. Hugging your kids when you see them, when they get up in the morning & hugging & kissing them when you tuck them in at night. As I have said in previous blogs, our kids learn by our example. If we are excited to see them & give them a big hug, they will be excited to see us & hug us. Cuddling with your kids is important too. My husband & I are naturally affectionate, so sitting on the couch cuddling with the kids while watching a movie was a frequent past time. When my step-son was young he often use the excuse that he sat on my lap because I had the best seat in the house (maybe it was the softest?!). That being said, he often sat on my lap or laid his head on my legs as a pillow. Some of my favorite times were when all 3 kids would jump into bed with us in the morning to watch TV or movies. Granted we did not have a big bed but it did not matter, we all had fun being together. That tradition continued when they were all teenagers.