One of the things I enjoy learning is different ways of showing my daughters just how much I love them. Here are a few great ways to make your children feel loved.
Spend time with them. Yes, we've all heard this many times, but it's true. Children equate love with the time spent with them. Whether you take your kids to the playground or just spend time snuggling, time spent is important.
When my girls were toddlers, they loved playing with their toy horses. One day, I decided to sit on the floor and join them. Together, we developed a pretend "TV show" we called Horses. We made up a theme song that we all sang before the "show" started. I would then think of a topic – usually one with a good lesson tacked on the end. For example, in one "episode," David struggled with being selfish. How did the other horses handle this? What did David learn in the end? With my daughters involved in the plot, it was always an adventure to see how the episode progressed.
Surprise them. What is something that means a lot to your child? One of the things I do on a whim is to cook their favorite dinner.
Another way is to place notes in their lunchboxes. A heartfelt "I love you and hope you have a great day!" is sufficient. A smiley face at the bottom adds to the charm.
Read to them. I began reading to my children when they were infants. As toddlers, there wasn't a day that would go by when I wasn't brought a stack of books including Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? A Little Girl After God's Own Heart, and Little Whistle. Now a few years later, I still read to them, although it's usually from books I haven't memorized! Now I read devotions, the Bible, and classics such as Little House on the Prairie.
Thank them. One of my favorite things to do is to thank my daughters for something specific each night while tucking them into bed before prayers. It can be something as simple as "Thank you for sharing that last cookie with your sister." Or "I really appreciated how you made sure the little girl in your class wasn't left out at school today."
Encourage them with thankfulness by adding it to your prayers. Our family prays together, and when it's my turn, I'll often add, "And thank You, Lord, that my daughters have servants' heart and were willing to help me today."
Keep the lines of communication open. If you're a parent, you know that children ask a gazillion questions! I believe it's important that we take the time to answer those questions to the best of our ability and at an age-appropriate level. I have told my children since they could speak that they can ask me any question about anything. I hope to be able to keep the lines of communication open into their tween and teen years and beyond.
One of the fun things we have implemented is to declare time for "chitty-chattys" whenever we are in the car doing errands. It's amazing the wonderful conversations that I have had the privilege to partake in during these times. Take a minute and ask your children what are things you do that make them feel loved. Listen to their answers and then take their suggestions.
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