We?ve gotten to the last of the five love languages and hopefully you?re beginning to be able to recognize them in yourself and your family members. We?ve covered quality time, words of affirmation, receiving gifts, acts of service and have arrived at physical touch.

A person whose love language is physical touch is, not surprisingly, very touchy! Gestures such as hugs, pats on the back and holding hands mean the world to this person. They?re pretty easy to spot as they usually rush to hug you when they see you or place a hand on your arm while they talk to you. It?s important that even if you?re not a ?touchy? person and your spouse or children are that you make a conscious effort to be affectionate in that way.

A great way to incorporate physical touch into family time with children young and old is to instigate tickle wars. Little kids love to be pursued and are thrilled to be tickled. It?s a way to have physical touch without having to sit down and cuddle (as most little kids don?t love to sit!) Reading stories together though is a great way to make cuddle time as they likely won?t mind sitting on your lap to read a story. When outdoors make an effort to grab your kids or spouses hand for a bit or put your arm around them. If you have the upper body strength you can even toss them in the air a few times – your child that is and probably not your spouse!

In conclusion, try to remember that each of us has a ?love tank? and one can only go so far on ?empty?. We each have different ways in which our love tanks are filled and if we don?t strive to speak each other?s languages we?ll never succeed in filling them up! It?s also really hard to give someone else love when our own tank is empty so ask your family this week how they feel most loved and try to ?top off their tank!?