Things Every Child Needs to Hear: I Love You

by Whitney Jones

Over the summer we will be sharing about 7 things every child needs to hear.  No matter their age, their gender or their personality type each and every child needs to hear these seven key things.  The first one is “I love you.”

Let’s think about love for just minute. Love has the power to change lives in amazing ways. It causes grown men to buy flowers for their wives. It causes women to give up the remote during NBA Finals. It causes parents to get up at 2am to rock a crying baby back to sleep. Love changes everything.

As parents we should be telling our kids and showing our kids how much we love them every day. If we are telling our kids and showing our kids love every day it begins to change who they are, what they know, and who they become.

Loving our children tells them they are valuable. When children know they are loved because of who God made them to be, they begin to realize the true value of their lives.

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” -Genesis 1:27

As parents, if we start accepting who our children are and tell them every day how awesome they are they will see value in their lives. They will start seeing the gifts that God has given them and use them for His good.

Loving our children makes them part of something bigger than themselves. To be loved is to be accepted as part of something bigger than ourselves. A child who is loved has an identity in something greater than their own personal world.

Loving our children gives them time to grow in life. Love is patient. Love bears through the good and the bad. It grants children time to gain understanding.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”

-  1 Corinthians 13:4

Showing our children its ok to mess up sometimes and make mistakes is an important way to show them love.

Loving our children provides motivation to love others like Jesus loves. When our lives have been changed by love and we know where that love comes from, we are more likely to extend that love to others.

Loving our children will always remain; Love preservers, stays true, and never fades. It always remains. If you love your child now, they will be able to carry that love with them forever.

“Three things will last forever- faith, hope, and love-and the greatest of these is love.”

-  1 Corinthians 13:13

Love is more than saying “I love you” with a kiss before bed. It’s every day interaction with your child. It’s showing up at every baseball game to be their biggest fan. It’s staying up late to help your teenager finish their science project. It’s praying over your little baby because she has a runny nose. It’s kissing a skinned knee that they hurt on the playground. Love changes everything.