I love my wife.
I love my kids.
I love my grandkids.
How do they know? I tell them.

I was raised in a very traditional home. My father worked at this his job outside the home. My mother was a housewife and took care of us kids. For this I am thankful. Nothing replaces the feeling of love and security like coming home from school and calling to your mother that you’re home, and her responding back. We knew that we were loved. Again, my siblings and I were very blessed to be raised in this atmosphere.

In my 20s and 30s, and 40s, my kids were raised in a lot the same atmosphere as I was raised. I believe that they knew that they were loved. It wasn’t until I was probably in my latter-40s that I started voicing “I love you” to my kids, and paying special attention to saying this to my boys — sons, son-in-law, and grandsons — as much as my daughters-in-law, daughter, and granddaughters.


There are a multitude of ways to show people that you love them. Working to provide for them. Treating their mother with love and respect. Giving them time, real time, not just mindless “uh-huhs” while looking at your phone or the television. And, telling them specifically, “I love you.”

For me, telling my sons and son-in-law that I love them is important for several reasons. One, they need to know and hear that I truly do love them, individually. Second, they need to understand that it’s okay to express this. There is a certain obligation to return the comment back — “Love you too.” Though this may just be a quick, nonchalant response, it still means something to me, and I think that it preps them to say this to their children as well (and future children).

I have to admit that I love to hear it:

Love you too.
Love you Pop.
Love you dad.

All bring a smile to my face and a warmth to my heart. Admittedly, I get the same comforting feeling when I hear them say it to my wife as well. Knowing that our kids, son-in-law, daughters-in-law, and grandkids love us — and tell us so — fills my emotional bank account and makes me willing and able to go out and fight the good fight in the world.

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