7 Things Your Kids Need to See You Do Every Day to Feel Loved
Between busy schedules, daily routines, and blurs of life events, days spent with our families have a tendency to tumble into months and years faster than we realize, and without showing any signs of slowing. Although we as parents know that we unconditionally love our children more than life itself, it may take a bit of effort to show that emotion and ensure that your child feels safe, happy, and loved in the midst of the everyday chaos that many of us experience.
Read through for seven little things you can do every day to make sure your kids feel the love no matter what.
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Make an effort to have some one-on-one time.
Even on the busiest of days, if your child can see that you're making one-on-one time with them a priority, they will be able to grasp from a young age how truly important they are to you. Whether you plan an intricate outing or only have time to read them a bedtime story, choosing to be present during those times will help your child to feel the love.
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Put your phone down for them.
It's so easy to get wrapped up in our phones — checking email for two minutes turns into scrolling through Facebook and Instagram while your kid plays beside you for 45 minutes. Choosing to put your phone down to play with them, ignoring the flash of the screen when a nonimportant notification comes through, and avoiding mindless scrolling while they're around are all ways to show them they're more important to you than the internet is.
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Let them be a witness to the love in your other relationships.
Share a hug with your other children, hold your partner's hand at dinner, video chat with grandparents just to say a quick "Hello," or invite someone special to your family over for dessert. Any little way you can show your love for the other people in your and your child's life will help to create an overall positive environment — you'll all be feeling well-loved.
Listen intently.
No matter what your toddler is rambling about, however many times your grade schooler has explained what's going on in the book they're reading, and regardless of how little you actually understand your middle schooler's homework questions, just listen to them. When your children know you're always listening to the little things, they'll be more likely to come to you with bigger things and feel safe and loved no matter what they're facing.
Show them tough love.
Life isn't always sunshine and unicorns, and part of feeling loved is experiencing tough love. Whether you're disciplining them for disobeying the rules or are having to say "no" to something they really want, they may not be happy in the moment, but they will eventually realize that the decisions you made for them were out of love (whether those realizations come minutes later or years later).
Laugh out loud.
Joking around, playing funny games, listening to and giggling at the same story they've already told you 13 times, and just being silly in general is so good for you and your kiddos. A lighthearted mood and tons of belly laughs could be the fastest way to a happy, joyful, and loving atmosphere in your home.
Say those three magic words.
Even though the word "love" has a tendency to be thrown around flippantly, the phrase "I love you" will never go out of style. Along with those three little words, using other positive words of encouragement will help your child to know you are proud of them, that they deserve to feel empowered, and that you care deeply for them.