A group of psychologists posed this question to a group of 4- to 8- year-old children. Their answers were taken from the Internet.

“What is love?”

Eight-year old Rebecca said, “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over anymore to paint her toenails. So, my grandfather does it for her all the time even though he got arthritis in his hands, too. That’s love.”

Four-year-old Billy said, “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.”

Five-year-old Karl said, “Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving lotion and they go out and smell each other.”

Four-year-old Terri said, “Love is who makes you smile when you’re tired.”

Six year old Nikki said, “If you want to love better, you should start with a friend you hate.”

Seven year old Noelle said, “Love is when you tell a boy you like his shirt and then he wears it every day.”

Six-year-old Tommy said, “Love is a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.’

Eight-year-old Cindy said, “During my piano recital, I was on stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared any more. That’s love.”

Six-year-old Claire said, “My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anybody else kissing me to sleep at night.”

Four-year-old Mary Ann said, “Love is when a puppy licks your face after you left him alone all day.”

Four-year-old Lauren said, “I know my older sister loves me because she gives me her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.”

Four-year-old Chrissy said, “Love is when you go out to eat and you give somebody most of your French Fries without making them give you any of theirs.”

Eight-year-old Danny said, “Love is when Mommy makes Daddy a cup of coffee and takes a sip before giving it to him.”

Seven-year-old Karen said, “Love is when your eye lashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.”

Six-year-old Mark said, “Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think it’s gross.”

Eight-year-old Jessica said, “You really shouldn’t say, ‘I love you’ unless you mean it and if you mean it, you should say it a lot.”

Perhaps the best answer to the question was what a 4-year-old boy did when he found out his elderly neighbor’s wife had recently died. Upon seeing the man cry while he was sitting on his porch, the child climbed into the man’s lap. His mother watched from the window. When the boy came home, his mother opened the door.

“What did you say to the man?” she asked.

“Nothing,” said the little boy. “I just helped him cry.”

The poet, Charles Bukowski wrote, “The problem is we look for someone to grow old together, while the secret is to find someone to stay a child with!”

The beauty of children is that the innocent purity in their hearts has not been yet polluted by life’s disappointments and prejudices. Love is the first emotion they can feel when Mom and Dad hold them that makes them smile. Babies and little kids want to be hugged and kissed. As we age, don’t we all? To love and to be loved is better than money, better than status achieved from climbing the career ladder.

Dr., Seuss said, “You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is better than your dreams.” Love has been romanticized in literature and film. What made my heart beat so fast when that girl walked by me in junior high school, not knowing about my delirious crush I had on her, became much more complicated later in life when I first told someone else, “I love you” without knowing exactly what that meant.

Someone said that love means you have found somebody who will count the stars with you and not the days. Is that kind of thing possible? Ask a kid.

When a boy and a girl lick the same ice cream cone before it melts on a hot summer day, is that love? Ask a kid.

I don’t know if a new born baby boy has a blank slate in his mind when he enters this world. I don’t know if new born baby girl has predetermined attitudes and behaviors. What I do know is a newborn emits auras of love from him to his mother, from her to her father. Children give love and want love and to be walked hand in hand through scary places they’ve never been before.

Don’t we all?

Psychologists have been examining this mystique for centuries and have not yet been able to know for certain when love is real or when it is not.

We don’t need an educated study and explanation. Just ask somebody who knows what love is all about. Ask a kid.

Email Rich Strack at richiesadie11@gmail.com