Small Hands Big Magic 

Some thoughts of love

I’ve been thinking about what it really means to say to our children: “You are safe. Your feelings matter.”parents, I think most of us strive for this. I know I do. But the real question is: how do we actually show it? How do we know our child feels it and sees it?

The truth is, toddlers don’t always say, “Thanks Mum, I feel very secure and validated today.” (Wouldn’t that be nice?) Instead, they feel it in the little moments — the everyday love notes we don’t even realize we’re writing.

It might look like this:

• When we bend down to their level to listen, even when the story is about a toy car that crashed for the tenth time.
• When we pause after a tantrum and whisper, “I know that was hard,” instead of only focusing on the behavior.
• When we notice their rock collection, their tower, their scribble — and treat it like treasure.
• When we keep showing up for hugs, even when we’re tired, frustrated, or unsure.

These aren’t big, Instagram-worthy gestures. They’re ordinary. Quiet. Often unseen. But they are love notes that say to our children:

✨ You are safe here.
✨ Your feelings matter here.
✨ All of you belongs here.

And maybe the truth is

We’ll never know in the moment if they really feel it. But one day, when they’re older, they’ll carry these little notes with them — in the way they see themselves, in the way they move through the world, and in the way they write love notes of their own.

So the next time you wonder if you’re “doing enough,” remember: love isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s hidden in the everyday. And our children? They hear it.

What tiny love note did you write today — without even noticing? Was it a smile, a cuddle, a pause, or just being there?