Today I’m so excited to introduce you to Heather from My Overflowing Cup. Heather and I are relatively new blogging friends but our friendship has progressed quickly, as I love spending time over at her blog. Heather shares wonderful posts about her faith, fabulous recipes, and assorted tips about frugal living.
Without further ado, I’m handing things over to Heather so she can share 5 Ways To Show Your Children You Love Them.
Check out these 5 ways to show your children that you love them! #parenting #parentingtips Share on X
As parents, we all want our children to know that we love them. Here are my top 5 tips on how to do just that.
1. Listen to them
Look them in the eye as they speak to you. If they are little, get down on their level. Very often, my kids come to chat with me when I am busy at a task. Sometimes I remember to stop my busy hands, look up from what I am doing, and make eye contact with them. It is important that we take the time to show our children respect in this way. This is an area I need to personally work on because I want my children to know that what they say has value.
2. Spend time with them
There is an expression that says that love is spelled T-I-M-E. In this day and age of constant busyness, time has become as valuable as money. If you offered your kids money or the opportunity to spend time with you, most of them would choose your time. Often it is easier to give someone the gift of money than the gift of your time. Our children are no exception. We need to remember that they won’t always crave spending time with us the way they do when they are young. If they still happen to when they are older, they may not have the time.
Here are some of our family’s favorite ways to spend time together:
- We play Mad-Libs when we are traveling in the car
- Even though they are teenagers, my kids still enjoy climbing into my bed for read-alouds before bedtime
- Family walks/hikes
- Board games
Remember to include spontaneous fun! Break out of routine & do something extra special once in a while. Try surprising them if possible.
3. Encourage them
Unfortunately, parenting involves a lot of instruction, correction, and discipline. We spend so much time focusing on the negative because we are teaching our children how to become responsible adults, but we need to remember to praise them for what they do well. I often remind my children that for every 1 thing they get corrected about, there are 100 things I am proud of them for.
Along the same lines, and more importantly, remind them of who they are in the Lord. One look at the suicide rates among young people is enough to remind us of the importance knowing who we are in Christ. Tell them that you love them and that they are a blessing in your life. I often ask my children, “Do you know how I know God loves me?” They try not to smile, pretend to roll their eyes, and say, “Because He gave you me.” A little encouragement goes a long way!
4. Teach them
Continuing the idea above, teach them who they are in Christ. As it has been said, “If we don’t teach our children to follow Christ, the world will teach them not to.” Read Scripture to them so that they can learn who the God that created them is. Tell them that they were created for a purpose, that God has a plan for their lives, and that they are deeply loved, by you and by Him. Talk with them about the things that are important to them.
We also need to remember the expression, “more is caught than taught.” We need to teach them how to live by living the characteristics we wish to encourage in them. We need to teach them by example. And when we fail, we need to admit it to them knowing that they will learn from our mistakes and weaknesses. How they see us handle these shortcomings teaches them valuable lessons.
5. Pray with them and for them
This is my most important tip, not only because it incorporates all of the above in some way, but because we are teaching our children one of the most important aspects of our Christian lives. When we stop and pray with our children about what is happening in the world around us, in our own lives, and in the lives of the people we care about, we are teaching them something that we hope they will carry into their adult lives. When we pray for them, we are asking God for His wisdom, His protection, and His will for our children’s lives.
I can’t think of anything more precious to give to our children than the gift of praying over their lives! What do you think? How do you show your children that you love them?
Heathe
r is a follower of Jesus Christ, devoted wife of over 21 years to her high school sweetheart, and homeschooling mother of their two teenage boys.
She can be found blogging about faith, food, and frugality at www.myoverflowingcup.com
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Wonderful tips and will say I just find spending quality time with my girls is truly the best way to give them my full attention, whether it be for fun or educational. Either way, just as long as we are together and doing things together that is all the counts here ;)
Quality time is so important isn’t it Janine?! It seems like there’s never enough time in the day though. Thanks for visiting!
There is such an incredible value in spending quality time with our children, isn’t there, Janine? Not only are we showing our love and care towards them, but we are building memories and relationships that will last a lifetime. Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to leave a comment.
Those are all so very important in how we parent!!! Lovely insight and message. I have always loved the foundational premise of Gary Chapman’s “The Five Love Languages”- if we can discover how our children feel loved and why, (Quality time, gift giving, touch, service, encouragement) it is an added bonus to these!!
I just loved this post by Heather.
The Five Love Languages sounds great! I need to check into that.
Thanks for stopping by Chris! You’re always a ray of sunshine.
Thanks so much for taking the time to remind us about the Five Love Languages, Chris. That is an excellent book and a great point. Knowing what makes our children feel loved is such an important aspect of our parenting.
This is so important and you have a wonderful list! I was listening to a women’s broadcast recently for my church and one of the speakers said to have an environment of learning always in your home because sometimes we as the parents learn so very much from our children.
I loved Heather’s list too!
I love that point… yes, we as parents, do learn so much from our children too.
I agree completely, Jen. We need to remember that life is made up of moments of learning opportunities. Whether we are teaching others, or learning from them, these aspects of life should not be compartmentalized. We learn as we live and we live as we learn. Thanks for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts with us!
Great post! I’ve really tried to make an effort to do all of these things with our daughter. Am I always perfect? Heck no! But I do my best. It’s so important to stay connected to our children and these are all fabulous ways to do so.
I have to say the same… far from perfect but I try my best. It never seems like there’s enough time to spend with them.
It is all about grace, right, Tiffany? None of us are perfect and I would say that we would be doing our children a disservice if we tried to make them think that we are. They learn so much by seeing our struggles, weaknesses, and faults. They learn grace, forgiveness, reality, and a host of other things when they see us for who we truly are. So, yes, we should strive to do our best, but remember to offer grace to ourselves when we do fall short. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to leave a comment.
Those are all really great ways. I also give lots and lots of hugs. I try and do as much as I can with them but with my busy schedule it can be tough at times. This weekend we’re finally going to make it to our pumpkin patch. I want to give them lots of memories to look back on when they’re older just like I have with my own parents.
Hugs and cuddles are so critical. Making memories is vital too!
Amanda, I think it is wonderful to hear that your desire is to give lots of hugs and create wonderful memories. These are the treasures your children will carry into their adulthood just as you do. Remember that though you are busy, they will also remember how hard you worked to provide for them. That in itself is creating wonderful memories for them. Thanks so much for reading!
Great reminders!!! Especially for them to pray and for us to pray with them and teach them about Christ. I pray over my son and step son daily!!
I agree. Prayers for and with our children are critical.
I truly believe that praying for our children and teaching them that there is a God who loves them and desires for them to come to Him in prayer is the most important thing we will ever do for them. There is nothing like knowing who we are in Christ! Thanks so much for reading, Cindy. Your boys are blessed to have your prayers.
Jennifer and Heather,
These are fantastic tips and I really hope lots of parents abide by them. I love Mad Libs! Funny story– I did mad libs when I was in labor with my oldest son, my sister would give me the prompts between contractions and it really helped =)
Just thought you might want to know that, hee hee
Brittany
I love Mad Libs too! I can’t wait until my girls are older… I’m sure they’ll find it a hoot!
Mad Libs during labour… now that’s a first!
Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Brittany. It is my desire to help encourage anyone and everyone that I can. Playing Mad Libs during labor – brilliant! What a wonderful way to keep your mind off of the pain. Maybe they should make a labor & delivery version!
These are great and something that I try very hard at doing because my mom wasn’t very expressive with her feelings. Sometimes, I feel like I’m overcompensating with my own kids but I want them to know no matter what they are loved always!
It’s so important to be demonstrative with our love. Our children remember those special, tender moments.
I can relate, Ana. I’ve often been accused of overcompensating with my kids, too. I say that I may make many mistakes as a parent, but my children will never doubt my love for them. I think that is the most important thing. Thanks so much for reading!
We have a two hour delay today, and I just thought that meant two hours of working as normal, but WITH Scarlet in the house.
She thought that meant two hours of hanging out.
Glad she told me and glad I figured it out that this is quite a nice opportunity for just the two of us!
Awww, that is sweet.
It’s lovely to spend that time together.
These are the moments we will always treasure. Having grand adventures are wonderful, but there is a lot to be said for the simple memories. Thanks so much for reading, Tamara!
Love this…kids desperately need time and attention and their parents present.
Children crave time and attention from their parents. This was such a lovely reminder to do exactly that.
Yes, Kristen, they do. In the busyness and stresses of life, it can be easy for parents to forget just how much our children need time and attention from us. It isn’t always easy, but it is important. Thanks for reading.
This is a great list! I can’t wait to pray with our kiddos :)
I agree Caroline, this was a great list!
Caroline, praying with our children is one of the greatest blessings bestowed upon us as parents. They are blessed to have you as a mom! Thanks so much for reading.
Wonderful advice! So simple, yet so BIG!
I agree Lisa. Those simple measures can be the most critical!
Sometimes we forget that the simple things can have a huge impact, can’t we, Lisa? Thanks for reading and for reminding us of that excellent point!
Thanks so much for sharing this post at Good Morning Mondays. Great hints and encouraging words for us mums. Blessings
They were some lovely hints that Heather provided. Thank you for visiting Terri!
Thanks for reading and for hosting, Terri. Blessings to you and yours.
Wonderful post. I think it is especially important to find time with our teenagers. So quickly they are grown and off to college. I am purposing myself to find moments with each of my children while they are still here.
I agree. Our children crave time with us… regardless of their age. It’s so important to give them that attention while we can. You’re right, they’re off to college and living their own lives in no time!
I completely agree, Tammi. Both of my children are now teenagers and it happened so quickly. The next thing I know, they will be grown up and gone. I try to remember this each and every day so that I can appreciate every moment I have left with them at home. Thanks so much for reading!
Love the pray for and with them.
Perfect. Couldn’t agree more!
I think there are too many parents out there who complicate their lives in how they interact with their children. Society get us sucked in to the media and pounds the belief that our connections and validity of being a good parent or showing ‘love’ is through providing things.
Horsepucky.
Beautiful article. The way we daily show our love and provide examples to our children through our faith will last a lifetime.
The one thing that Kathilynn and I strive to teach our children is that they are loved. It’s SO vital!! Not only to build bonds of confidence and strength, but to show the most powerful character trait a human being can have. Love.
Well done, ladies. Well done indeed. =)
Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words, Jaime. There is nothing like knowing how loved we are, both by others and by our heavenly Father! If more of us understood who we are in Christ, I think the world would be incredibly different. There would be so much less hurt. May we show love to others the way Christ has towards us. Blessings to you and yours.
What a perfect list! I have always said the little things in life really are the BIG things. You hit the nail on the proverbial head Heather! How lovely to read those great reminders. We always loved playing board games with our kids…and they still talk about that. Reading together is a great way to bond also.
Thank you so much for reading and for taking the time to leave a comment. This is so encouraging to me! Often, my husband and I wonder if our children are lacking because of some of the experiences we aren’t able to provide for them at this time in our lives. Hearing that your grown children still talk about those simple memories does my heart good. Thanks so much!
I love this guest post! I love love love love her blog title too. Getting down on their level (for me, that’s low to the ground) definitely makes all the difference in my world. Dylan listens to me in a new way when I’m eye to eye with him
I loved this post too. Such great pointers!
Don’t blink, Rebecca! The next thing you know, they will be looking down to your eye level. Thanks so much for reading.