Did you remember to say "I love you" to your teen today?

I think it is a WONDERFUL “habit” to get into… telling your children, of any age, and your spouse “I love you, have a good day” before they/you leave in the morning. I usually do it (along with a kiss/hug) anytime any of us leave the house!

I have always told those special to me everyday that “I love them” it is crucial. Likewise I never go to bed on an argument. My daughter Megan is my world and I have always expressed my love for her as my parent’s did to me. It costs nothing and it means so much. How many have us have lost someone special and have regrets as they are no longer here to show them you care and love them. Say it, mean it and remember love is the greatest gift of all.

I have said those three words to my son and daughter every morning and every time they leave the house to go anywhere and at bedtime. They are now both in high school and it is wonderful to hear those words spoken back to me at such a tough age for them. I don’t want either of my kids to feel “funny” uttering those three simple words – they mean so much.

I tell my children every morning as they’re off to school and each night a bedtime. I am, however, just now being met with some resistance from my 15 year old daughter. I still tuck her in each night, but lately I think she’s wanting to put an end to that routine. It’s a difficult age, but an especially important age for them to know that they are loved. However, I sometimes overhear people saying the words “I love you” on their cell phones and honestly, sometimes it just doesnt sound sincere. I think it’s a very special phrase and should be used in only that way, not as an end to every conversation..it needs to be sincere. Teenagers now seem to say “I love you” to everyone on FB. It makes me wonder if they truly understand the meaning of “love”.

I say I love you to my 2 daughters ages 15 and 18 every morning and every night. Some mornings when my 18 yr old is still in bed because class starts later, I still go to her room to kiss her goodbye and say i love you. My 15 year old gets a daily note on her napkin in her lunch just to remind her I’m thinking of her and I occasionally get to slip one in my 18 yr old’s bag too! The 15 yr old has no problem saying I love you but the 18 yr old is dealing with some issues and never responds when I say it. It’s hard not to hear it back from her (even though I know she loves me) and she shows it in different ways but I’ll never stop saying it. I didn’t hear it growing up and wish I had. I’m glad that I’m able to let my kids know every single day.

My husband and I tell our only son that we Love him everyday. I am so glad that we do, even if my son and I have a disagreement and I am leaving him at school, he will still always tell me that he loves me. It is very imperative that we instill this into our children.

i find the concept of saying i love to you kids very inspiring, particularly in africa where children are growing in difficulty situation, poverty, hunger, disease and crime. children need to rely on inspiration from their parents to make decision

I say that to my teen sister, but she just say “Bye!”, and for me it is kind of dissappointing. She has the same attitude e with our parents, too. Is there something we can do?

I have always been that way with my Daughter up until a couple of years ago.
I try very hard but it seems that lately the “love” exudes from her only when I’m buying her something she wants and/or forking out the money she needs to go somewhere else.
I miss the days when in every lunch I packed a special note and drew a picture just for her. She even shared them with her friends.
Unfortunately lately all I hear is ‘I hate your guts and I wish you were dead’.

Our entire family ends every phone conversation with those 3 little words “I love you” that convey so much. We never leave the house without saying it to each other. You never know what God has in store for you, what if that is the last time you saw a loved one and you forgot to express your love for them? I am not saying that with 3 teen girls that it is always easy for them to respond or perhaps not often sincere, but at least they know how we feel. We end each night with “I am here if you need me”. I believe our family knows the meaning of love and expresses it in appropriate manners and times.

Although I know how important it is, we never grew up hearing it in those words. We always knew we were everything for our parents by their actions and their smiles and the tone of their voice and their happiness in seeing you.

Raising kids in the US, it is difficult for me to say it to my kids although my actions show I love them. But I do know that they expect to hear it. So it is for me to change myself and make it genuine enough for them!

Every night I tell my daughter “May God bless you and keep you. I love you always, forever and no matter what. Sleep my beautiful, smart,kind, funny, creative, strong girl!” I often rearrange the order of the attributes depending on how her day went, what’s on her mind, etc. In the morning, I say ” Have a great day.I love you. Do your best .” I am 53 yrs old and do not remember a time when I ever wondered about my mother’s love. She said it often, hugged us always and we held hands in the street well into my 30’s before she passed away. I truly do believe that saying and demonstrating your love for your child is an enormous boon to their self-esteem and sense of solid grounding in a world that is constantly changing. Finally, I’ll never forget a friend who visited my home when I was in middle school and upon recounting the visit remarked “you know you are loved, it shows even when nobody’s talking in your house-it’s so loud.”

I agree with Maureen. These are special words, and they should be said to those we’re close to, but I hear my daughter saying these every time she hangs up her cell phone, it’s all over facebook, and it does sound a bit sincere. I’d like the phrase “I love you” to really mean something, and it should be said frequently to those we do truly love and hold dear.

Saying “I love You” to my kids when they leave for school and when they go to sleep, fulfills me. My kids complete my life so therefore I let them know every day that I truly love them.

I think it is very reassuring for our children to hear over and over that they are loved. Children constantly ask themselves if they are doing the right thing, if they are going to get into trouble for something or if their parents will always be there for them. Some children might try to look tough, like my 17 year-old son, who tries very hard to pretend he doesn’t need me anymore, but I know he needs to hear that I love him inspite of his attitude. We as adults also need to hear it from those we care for.

I tell my children that I love them and to have a good day every morning when they leave for school. I tell them that I love them and I will see them in the morning every night before they go to bed. Every once in a while I get a grunt but for the most part I get and “I love you” back.

I am a single father of two a fourteen yr old boy and an eleven yr old girl. I make sure that I tell them both every morning and every night, this to me is the only way I can distill in them a value that I hope that they will share not only with me but each other as well.

I go into the bedroom where my boyfriend is still sleeping when I leave to go to work each morning; I wake him a little talk for a short period, give him a kiss and say “I love you have a great day” I also call during my lunch hour not always speaking to him but always saying I love you at the end of our conversation or when I leave a message. My son is 21 and I still always say I love you to him at the end of the night if he is at our house or when we are speaking on the phone. I believe that I never want to have to ask myself if I said I love you if anything would happen to either of them. We have truck driving in our background and it is a habit that alot of drivers use too. We never go to bed before resolving a “argument” or saying I love you.

I have been doing this with my son ever since he was little and it continues even today after 19 years of age. I tell my boyfriend, as well as any family member that I may speak to. One never knows when the Good Lord will take us from this life.

When I was a kid, my dad told a story about how he failed to say goodbye and “I love you” to his own dad one day, and that was the day his dad died. So when I was growing up it was a Very Big Deal to always say “I love you” when anybody left the house. I do that with my family now, and my teenagers roll their eyes, but I think secretly they’re happy to hear it.

We say I love you at bedtime which is a lovely way to end the day. So far my 14 year-old and 10 year-old still say it back – even initiate it sometimes.

I left a comment this morning – did the computer eat it?

Hi,
I do say this quite often with my children & my family. I disagree with Maureen. I say “Love you” at the end of every phone call with them & when someone is leaving the house. It does not make it any less special. We have had many family members die, & I am comforted with the knowledge that the last words my children will hear from me if anything should happen to either them or myself is that I love them. Rather than judging people saying “Love You” at the end of conversations, praise it. In my opinion, it doesn’t happen often enough. Saying you love someone often reinforces the message – it doesn’t cheapen it.

I totally agree and try to tell my teenager and younger children that I love them before bed and in the morning. We live only a few miles from where little Somer Thompson was abducted and our hearts and prayers go out to the Thompson family.