"I Like You Daddy and I Like Mommy"

Jacob always says, "I love you mommy!" "I love you daddy!" Sometimes we say, "Jacob who loves you?" To which he responds "Daddy loves me, Mommy loves me." Then we ask, "Jacob who loves you the most?" To which he replies, "JESUS." "That's right Jacob, Mommy and Daddy love you but Jesus loves the most." We want our children to understand that as much as we love them, care about them and have their best interest in mind, Jesus loves them so much more than we ever could. We want them to go through life with that assurance. This morning the story went a little different. After an escapade with our alarm, our fearless neighbors and the police, Matt came home and we were all 3 sitting on the couch "chillin" as we like to say. I hugged Matt and said "Jacob I love your daddy!" I also want my children to have complete confidence that I love their daddy so much. Jacob hugged us both yelling "Group Hug" and then said something he had never said before. He said, "I like you Daddy!" and "I like you too Mommy." I asked, "Do you love me?" "Yeah! I like you too." Jacob said. I loved that he knew the difference. I have felt his love since he was seconds old and laying in my arms, but I haven't always gotten the sense that he liked me. It can be hard to like someone who is always giving instruction and disciplining you, but Jacob likes us. He doesn't just love us but he enjoys spending time with us. He likes us! I make it a point to let me children know this on a regular basis. I love you is important and we say it all the time, but it can almost become cliche. Love should be felt and known and I will ALWAYS tell my children I love them, but they need to know I like them. Sometimes I will say "Caleb, I like you. You are a cool kid and really fun to be around. You make me laugh. I love how you are so interested in the lives of others. You are awesome and I like you." Caleb knows I love him, but aren't Moms suppose to love their children. I want him to know that "he rocks" in my world. I want him to know that their are some very specific things in his life that I really, really like. I don't just love him because he is my son, but I like spending time with him. I feel this way about all of my children. I love them all, but there are very specific things I like about each one of them. I know Jacob loves me, but it was so awesome to hear that he "likes" me too. Make a list of all the specific things you like about your children and start praising them. Tell them you love them and more importantly show it, but tell them you like them and tell them why. Those little spirits need to be encouraged and uplifted. What could be more encouraging than to hear..."I like you!"