Do they know we will always love them?

Or do they worry that our love might be dependent on their actions? Do our teens realize that our love for them comes from God and is not going to fade if they disappoint us in some way? Do we express our love to them consistently and understandably? Most of us are familiar with the idea that different people perceive love in different ways. Have we researched these “love languages” and figured out the ideal ways to reach our various children with our love?

Most of our high school kids still need consistent physical love from both parents—our girls need lots of hugging and arm-in-arm walking, and our tall manly boys need shoulder rubs from Mom, wrestling with Dad, and yes, even occasional hugs. Some teens will need us to talk about our love for them in specific detail; others will understand our love best through what we do with them—but the main point is clear. At this critical time in their lives, our teens need to be absolutely certain of our love. Otherwise, they might be tempted to go looking for such affirmation and caring elsewhere.

So let us set the standard high. We need to make our teens’ relationship with God and our relationship with them our two highest priorities. We only have a few years left with our children. Why not make them really count for eternity? 

Kim Lundberg is the busy mom of 9 great kids. She and her family have been homeschooling for 16 years, and they make their home in beautiful northern California. Kim enjoys teaching drama, writing, and world history classes, as well as reading mysteries, baking goodies, camping, and listening to her kids talk, sing, and make music.

This article was originally published in the May/June 2008 issue of Home School Enrichment Magazine. Visit http://homeschoolenrichment.com/ to request a FREE sample issue today!