How often do you hear your kids say I love you to you?

I can relate to your niece. I grew up in a house where we never said I love you. I was raised by my grandparents. They never said it but I always had a roof over my head, I never went to bed hungry. I always had clean clothes to put on, I never knew what it was like for the lights, phone or the water to be turned off, so I knew that they loved me, but they just found it difficult to say I love you. They showed me everyday. I always said when I had my children I would not only show them that I love them but I would also tell them often. In my house it is not strange to hear my kids say I love you on a daily basis or for me to say I love you too.

oh yes, i do tell my kids i love them and in return i get this kind of gestures, they tell me they love in return without me asking for them..and i want them to have this way and lifestyle where saying i love you is open and an everyday act that should he cherished and appreciated.

That's very nice. With my family, am also a mother. I also say "I love you" very often to my children. But they are still young as my eldest son is still 3 years old. He thus follow me though whenever I say I love you. He would say, I love you ma.. It makes me very happy. :) My youngest is still 1 year old but still I also show my love to her.

I tell my kids many many times a day and my oldest says it back everytime. My youngest doesn't talk yet. My oldest tells me that she loves me a couple times a day without me saying it first. We hug and kiss each other all the time too. She came up to me the other day and hugged me so tight and said "Mommy, you're my best friend. I love you." She's only 2 1/2 years old. My fiances son is almost 8 years old and he never says it. We have to push him to say it. I think it's because he has only been in our lives since he was 4 years old, part time. Long story, his mom took him from his dad when he was 2 years old. I've heard his mom say that she loves him and he never says it to her either. It's very sad that a child can't express their feelings, even when they are shown how by all the adults involved in their lives. We never said it when I was a kid either but I tell my mom that I love her everytime we talk now. She does the same with me.

hi hibiscus_mel, i always tell i love you to my stepson everytime we see each other. it is just every other week that we tend to bond and see each other but the feeling is great!

I think it's at least one time per day. I grow up in a house where we never said those things. We knew our parents loved us, we just didn't say it. I think that affected my ability to express my feelings and my communication abilities for a very long time. In fact, I don't think I ever said those words to anyone until I met my husband, who is very out in the open and very affectionate. Kinds need to be told "I love you". It's hard for them to judge by our actions, so they plain need to hear it.

I've always been one to tell my kids many times a day that I love them. They always respond with "love you too, mom." And always,always we say "goodnite, I love you" before going to bed or "goodbye, I love you." before leaving the house even if we are not real happy with each other. It has always been that way. I have seen my daughters, especially in their teens, storm out so angry at me and still yell out, "Good bye mom ...I love you." before slamming out the door. A boyfriend witnessed that once and thought it was the funniest thing. I told him that that is how I raised them. You never ever know what could happen and you never want to live with angry words being the last words you ever spoke to someone you love.

I grew up with a lot of love in the house also. My husband passed away when my daughter was only 2 yrs. old and I raised her by myself for most of her first 18 years. We always told each other I love you, hugged one another and gave each other a kiss good night. She is now 36 years old with children of her own and she still gives me a kiss, a hug, and says I love you when ever she comes to visit or we talk on the phone. It was rough raising her by myself and money was not plentiful but I always told her that as long as we had love we were rich as anyone else. I am glad to see that she is doing the same to her kids. It is hard when you are not raised like this to say those three simple words. My partner was not raised in a loving home and it took forever to hear those words come freely and often in return when I said them. I think it is important that children hear I love you when they are growing up.

when i tell my son that i love him or my wife does he always says it back. its kind of a spirit lifter when i'm down or just to express my feelings. i do love my son with all of my heart. for instance when my ex and i broke up than my son was their for me when i felt like crap even when it wasn't my fault. when something like that happened i never blame my son because it's not the child's fault. i guess what im trying to say is that i love my son and he loves me even if it feels like the whole world is agenst you.

I felt really nice when my mother said these magical words to me. In our family we cherish a lot of love do express it in the form of I love you to each other. You should always express your love and there is no issue in saying it to your family members.

My little sweetheart tells me all the time and it makes so very happy! It's a big thing for me because when I was growing up my parents never, ever told me or my sister that they love us, not once! It hurt a great deal at the time and I am sure it contributed to low self esteem issues. My little daughter is 7 and because we tell her all the time that we love her she tells us and it comes very natural which is wonderful to hear. She's very affectionate too, she loves hugs and kisses! She is one of the things that make my heart sing each and every day and she knows it!

My kid is only one year old and he rarely speaks but i would love to hear it from him in future.I do say "i love you" to my hubby several times in a day and he reciprocates .

well, you teach your children the right stuff.. although people do say that actions speaks louder then words, but as for love, its nothing to be shy or shamed about, just be expressive with it. Love is to be shared!

Growing up in a family that is not so expressive in saying i love you is not a hindrance in learning to say it to your own children. I, myself, grew up in a generation of parents who do not say i love you to their children, at least, not as often as I do, now, to my own children. They will express their love in actions by giving them treats or serving them but not actually say "i love you". I think each one has his own way of expressing their love for others although saying i love you is one of the best ways. Some people may think they are not expressing their love if they don't say it. Others may think that "actions speak louder than words". But I want to say that, even if you grew up that way, you can eventually learn to say i love you to your own children if you really want to.You will see how important and beneficial it is to any relationship to say those words as often as possible for them to be assured of your love no matter what happens in their lives.

My mother has never told me she loves me. I always told my kids, and now my son tells me he loves me all the time (he's 26). My daughter, however, would never tell me that. She's more likely to tell me she hates me -- over some imagined slight or whatever. And she's a grown woman of 29.

We say this multiple times per day. I can honestly say that in fourteen years, I have never heard I hate you. This makes me very happy. I have heard my nephews say this to my sister and it breaks my heart.

hello, hibiscus. this i love you thing is being uttered in our home without limit. early in the morning, as i wake up, i say i love you to my kids plus some hugs and kisses yet. we are so accustomed to doing this. so much so that even in public places, like the mall and the park, we do this without much ado. honestly, i believe that expressing our love openly, makes all the members of the family so very closely knit. no one of us finds any difficulty communicating in terms of the thoughts that comes to mind, or our needs, or the desires of our hearts - like the plans for the futrure and the dreams we hold. yes, it is great to be loved and to love, and greater still it is to feel that love overflowing.

One of my children tells me often she loves me and I love to hear it. I tell her a lot also. As for the rest of my children, I hear it but not always often enough. I think it is important for us to verbalize our feelings. Then there is less misunderstanding.

I tell my children that I love them every day. My one son who doesn't live here I tell every time I speak to him. In return, they always say it to me too. It can be awkward for someone who hasn't been brought up in a family that expresses their feelings to each other. I think it is great that your children tell their cousin that they love her. She shouldn't feel the need to say it back, just show them in her actions if that makes her feel more comfortable.

My daughter does not say it that much at all. I have to pry it out of her. It is very rare. She is just so standoffish. She will usually tell me when she leaves to go somewhere.