A few years ago I noticed a shift in my fourth-grade son. Typically talkative, he had become slightly withdrawn, moody, and just less himself. Ironically—and thankfully—at the time I was reading Gary Chapman’s The Five Love Languages of Children. After thinking about his personality, I felt compelled to use more verbal and physical ways of connecting. When we talked about his school day I mussed his hair, rubbed his shoulder, or simply touched his arm. Within a few days, I couldn’t believe the difference—he was back to himself.
