I tell my children that I love them every single day and I can’t imagine not saying these three words to them or ever not hearing them say it back to me.
But I Love You isn’t the only phrase than I make sure that I say to them every day….
I love you!
I want them to feel safe and loved and although words aren’t as important as actions, they’re a pretty good start!
How was your day?
I want to share in their lives as they grow up and I like knowing what they’ve been up to. We usually talk about our days while we’re having tea each night and usually share the best thing that’s happened that day which often starts some interesting conversations! 😉
Yes.
As a parent, I think it’s often easier to say no when the kids ask if they can do something. I might be busy, or not want to do what they want to do but for whatever reason I felt like I was saying no for the sake of it sometimes. I’m trying to say yes more these days which is actually more fun!
Are you OK?
This is mostly a Master Frugal conversation as Miss Frugal isn’t shy about telling me when there’s something not right (I ask her anyway though) but Master Frugal tends to bottle things up unless we take time to talk about the things that are bothering him. When he is worried, we talk about the different scenarios to try and reassure him that nothing is as bad as he fears.
What do you think?
I think it’s important for the kids to take a part in family decision making – from what’s for tea to where we should go on holiday. I ask their opinion on lots of things and I do take it into account and always explain why if I do something different.
I understand.
We might not always agree on things but I try to empathise with them when things don’t go there way. If Miss Frugal gets frustrated about having to do something she doesn’t want to then I’ll tell her that I understand how she feels and explain why she has to do it anyway. It doesn’t always make her feel better but I try anyway!
What do you say to your children every day?
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Mostly all of the above. She gets an I love you when she goes to school. An yes, when she asks for extra 5 minutes of TV at night :-), an I understand when she tries to explain about her frustrations and Are you OK when she seems down.xx
I was just reading this and thinking oh dear! Today we have an inset day, lots of work to do and a bad tempered 4 year old. Thankfully she's in a better mood now so we're back in positive land again. We always ask her how her day was but she's not very forthcoming in sharing what she did (she's just started school). I need to get a little more creative with my questioning 🙂
I hope I do say all these things to my children – think "I understand" could be said by me a bit more! x
We have hit the September evil child syndrome from long chilled summer days to back to school with a bang. I think I probably say "I DON'T understand"a LOT at the moment! Must try harder!
I ask my children every day when they come out of school what their day was like and usually I wish I hadn’t had asked!
I probably say all of these but not as often as I should
Fab post and pinned. I think we all need a little reminder sometimes of the things that our kids need to hear
Yes!! I always tell my chidlren I love them and try to say the others regularly too. This is a good reminder though!
I am so guilty of not saying a few of these 🙁 but i will be rectifying that 🙂
I couldn't imagine a day going by without saying "I love you" to my son ♥
I agree with these, so much! Especially as mine get older (mine are now 15 and 11), i think its critical that they feel heard and understood. I often find myself saying "I understand that you dont agree with me, but…".
I tell mine daily I love them, I ask about their days or what they’ve done nut am always met with “nothing, don’t know or can’t remember ”
Mine are grown up now, but I always asked them "what was the best thing about school today?" and "what was the worse thing?" Sometimes the worse thing was lumpy custard, but it was open-ended so they usually said something. We did it for trips out etc and it opened up a dialogue that continues to today (aged 19, 20 and 26).
I asked H and he said I said all of these except 'I understand' I expect he's right. I probably need to think about that a bit.