Research has shown that three words significantly impact your child’s well-being: “I love you.”
It is so simple yet more important than many of us realize. These three words have a powerful emotion that brings emotional change within the person who is loved. Telling them that you love them changes their thoughts about themselves, what they know, and who they are. Love is a powerful emotion we all crave. Telling them that you love them daily lets them know they are safe and cared about and will impact them on who they will become.
When kids know they are loved, they build trust with that person. They develop the feeling of being valued. They know they always have someone cheering for them, which allows them to make mistakes, knowing they will still be loved and their wrongs are forgiven.
Knowing they are loved can produce joy, give hope, remove fear, build a feeling of belonging, and develop confidence.
Love has a greater impact on changing lives in unbelievable ways. Take a minute and think about how love has impacted your life. Andrew Lloyd Webber/DonBlack stated, “Love, love changes everything: Hands and faces, earth and sky. Love, love changes everything: How you live and how you die.” These three simple words have the ability to change our children’s lives and how they approach their lives and the world as they mature into adults.
Even during difficult times when the best choices are not made and corrections have to be made, which is part of growing up, children who know they are loved can recover and become stronger knowing they are unconditionally loved from hearing you repeatedly telling them, “I love you.”
Don’t assume your children know you love them. They are learning how to navigate life, and upsets can be expected. By your children hearing from you that you love them prior, their ability to process the situation will become stronger, and there is a greater chance of less frustration for all parties.
Homework: Tell your kids you love them every day!
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Scott Smith has been in education for the past 43 years. Smith currently lives with his wife in Mosier and serves on the Board of Decoding Dyslexia of Oregon.
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