Is the love for a child the only real love

[Birdinthebush]

I have having a discussion last night about love and relationships with my friend. She has a grown up and daughter and I don't have any kids (through choice). I have often been told that I don't know real love as I don't have kids, that the love I feel for husband family etc is not the same. She agreed and said she would die for her daughter . I am not sure especially after reading the saving dog or person thread .

Not the only real love.

It is different from romantic love though.

Love for children is just an extension of self love.
It's programmed biologically.
No credit due there.

My love off my children overwhelms me, it's unconditional.

If DH hit me, cheated on me, treated me badly, I'd leave him and move on with my life.

Would never be able to do that wrt my children.

So for me it's true. I love DH, I'm still wildly in love with him but the feeling is entirely different for me.

For not off. Wine?

Another glass and I will love you all.

I hate people who say things like that.

It took me ten years of heartache to have my son and people used to say things like that to me before I had him and it deeply hurt me and made me feel invalidated as a person.

After having my own son I can confidently say it is bollocks and the people who say things like this have no deep insight into the universe and the meaning of love . They're just nasty.

Love for your child is different. But the way I love my mother, husband, father, mother and friends is different too.

If love except for your child isn't real love why do people commit acts of love every day when they care for their parents, spouses, friends, lovers?

She's talking shite.

Smile, nod, ignore. These people are insecure.

If a mother's love for her child wasn't ferocious and all encompassing the human race would have floundered soon after we'd evolved from being pre historic newts.

Still doesn't mean other love isn't real love . What a grim thought.

"Love" is a feeling created by a cocktail of hormones acting on the brain. Specifically: dopamine, adrenaline, serotonin, oxytocin and vasopressin. Possibly some others too.

Anyone who tries to tell you that one version of this cocktail is any more "real" than any other is talking a load of sanctimonious, mawkish twaddle.

My advice would be to our yourself a cocktail of your own. I can recommend a Margharita or a Screaming Orgasm

Sorry, I meant, pour and Margarita. Typos nothing to do with any cocktail consumption on my part. No indeed.

None of us can know how anyone else experiences love so your friend is talking rubbish. She may love her child more than her DH but she has no idea how your love compares to that.

Among my friends there is one who insists that the love you feel for grandchildren is more than anything else in life ever! Yet how many threads do you see on here about Grandparents behaving horribly towards their grandchildren?

It is all subjective

No not at all. You can love other people in you're life too. What about couples who when one dies the other one soon follows, you often hear this with animals and they're often not parent-child relationships.

No I don't think it's the only kind of real love. I do feel it's a different kind of love but it won't be the same for everyone. The love I have for my DCs is stronger than for anyone else, without question. I love my DH totally but I would be able to carry on without him (I don't ever want to be in that position) but I believe the need to protect my DCs would take over. I would do anything to protect them. An acquaintance one told me that if she had to save her husband or children from a sinking ship she would save her husband because she could have more children with him. I just couldn't understand that way of thinking.

I don't think it's the only REAL love, but I do think it is the STRONGEST love. It is for me anyway. Totally unconditional and forever.

It's a different kind of love. I would say DS is my number one priority in life but do I love him more than I love DP? No I don't think I do. DP has said that I'm his priority because children eventually grow up and have their own lives, whereas hopefully DP will be with me every single day for the rest of my life.