My daughter came up to me yesterday and as she is wont to do, she leaned against my arm and said “Mommy, I love you.” I hugged her and told her I loved her too. She tells me she loves me all the time, but yesterday she’d made a card to show her love. I surprised her this morning when she got up with a card that I’d made for her – it tickled her to no end that I’d made her a card.
It’s a really simple thing to do – to say the words I love you – especially when you feel them so strongly as you do for your family and your children. But it’s not just saying the words that shows them we love them, it’s what we do that demonstrates our love. Want some ideas? I’ve found the following to be pretty helpful – especially when I just wanted to show them that I loved them:
- Play footsie with your spouse at the dinner table
- Kiss your spouse first thing in the morning, when they get home from work, and before you go to bed at night
- Hold hands whenever you are walking or together in the car, on the sofa or just wandering through the grocery store
- Run your fingers through their hair or across the back of their hand when they are talking to you, be sure to really listen too
- When you have a problem, let your spouse know and appreciate their concern whether they can repair the problem for you or not
- Snuggle together or spoon at night in bed and talk – there’s something that’s really nurturing in those snuggle chats
- Don’t hesitate to say I’m sorry when you have a disagreement or you said something that was misinterpreted
- If your spouse has taught you something – share with them what you have learned
- Play card games or board games – don’t play to win – play to have fun
- You admire qualities in your spouse – tell them what it is about them that you admire – don’t be afraid to share what you love in them – you might surprise them more than you know