A re-post from Your Parenting Questions about LOVE - I thought appropriate for today.
Every human gives and receives love in different ways. The same is true of children. Gary Chapman wrote a book entitled The Five Love Languages of Children. In it he describes 5 different languages or ways we humans can give and receive love. Quality time, physical touch, acts of service, giving/receiving gifts and words of encouragement. It is very common for a parent to try to communicate love to a child in a way that the child can’t understand just as I would understand very little if you spoke to me in German.
If you as a mom express love to your family by keeping the house clean and you wonder why your 14 year old son does not appreciate it, consider it might be because it is not a way he CAN feel love. If he feels loved through words of encouragement rather than acts of service, the efforts you make to show love though cleaning will not be “heard.” Instead try telling him how proud you are of the things he is accomplishing and make an effort to show you care through your words.
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