How often do you tell your children that you love them - and what is their response??

[Jazzicatz]

Just told ds1 (age5) and he said "you are always saying that mummy - I know!!!"

All the time, in the morning, at bed time and a 1000 times in between, and they say (most of the time) love you to

I also say love you more then cheese, don't know why though

Oh about 10 times a day at least I think she says it about half the time and I respond and then I say the rest of the time and she responds. DD2 only every says it in response but she is still quite small. We hug loads too.

Lots. My 3 yo sometimes says out of the blue..."Mummy I like you". Which I think is ACE!

many, many times every day!

DS2 says "Mummy I love you sooo much like a giant sandwich"

DS1 a little more conventional!

Damn sure Foofi is trolling but her post still made me wellup.
I tell my kids all the time and when my 3yr old just says it out the blue it makes my heart melt.

all the time
they say i love you back, mostly. then that i am a poopoohead. or something. such loving dc i have

Most days.

Responses vary from nothing, through a grunt whilst carrying on doing whatever it is, 'yes I know mum ' to 'I looove you too mummy' and a big cuddle. DS#1 is the only one who comes up to me and says 'are you alright mum' and gives me a cuddle when I'm feeling a bit put upon.

I'm always telling my DSs too.

Responses vary from a world weary 'I know mummy' from DS2 (4.10yrs) to very enthusiastic 'I love you toos' I suppose it depends on how often I mentioned it that day.

Both say it spontaneously. DS1 came to visit me at the summer fair where I was on a stall on Saturday. I hadn't seen him all morning and he came over to me all smiles, we had a brief chat and as he was walking away he turned round and said 'I love you mummy' at which half a dozen old ladies went 'ahhh' and one of them said 'They are not words we hear often enough'.

I am also a very kissy mummy too - wonder how long it will be before they run for cover when they see me pucker up?

DS and I are always trying to out-do each other on how much we love each other. I know it's a bit 'Guess How Much I Love You', but I think it's great. DS loves me to "the moon and the stars and the sun and the clouds and the trees and the fridge". Apparently.

My DS2 has been going to speech therapy because at 3, he was only comming out with single words, the rest was his own language,.He has come on in leaps and bounds in past 6 months but despite telling all my kids that I love them all the time, he has never said it back. He came into bed one morning a couple of weeks ago and said "I love you too mummy" I was half asleep and hadnt even spoken to him but I leapt up and gave him the biggest hug ever. It was just like he had been waiting to say it for months but couldnt.
My 11 yr old still says I love you all the time (even in public) which I think is really cool. I have always told my kids I love them a dozen times a day just incase they ever forget, im sure they will get fed up with it one day but ill never get bored of telling them.

I tell DS several times a day. His response varies from ignoring me, to nodding and saying "uh-huh" and at night he always says, "I love you too Mummy"

Every day. Most times they say it back, but the best times are when they just come out and say it to me when I am not expecting it.

In fact DS1 (11) brought tears to my Dad's eyes last week when he said "Grandad I love you"

A lot! My kids quite often say it just to fill a gap in the conversation (they hate to be silent!) At night I always say "How much do I love you?" and they chorus "Lots and lots and lots!" (well, dd1 does, dd2 says "wots and wots and wots", which is even cuter!) It is on a par with our "always time for a cuddle" rule, but sometimes backfires on me- sometimes when I tell them off they shrug and say "But you still love me!" and skip off happily!

We're not really a gushy family, but I also end every phone call to my dad/ DH with "love you!" It's such a habit, I nearly said it to my boss once

every day
always " i love you too"

however if thy say it first i might reply " whaddya want?"

Bellavita, that's lovely. My DS (2.9) was talking about Family and how his Grandad is my Dad. He thought for a bit and said, "so he loves you?"

every 5 minutes!!
nearly always get a cuddle or an I love you too or a lovely mama as they stroke me, or similar
dc3 has taken to kissing us the lips which is a bit just when you least expect it
wet and sloppy too

Maybe Foofi isn't making it up. There are plenty of people who have not been brought up to say 'I love you'.
I can only remember my Mum saying it to me once but she showed it to me in her daily actions. Better to be a loving parent and not say it than a toxic parent who says it several times a day.
Even better of course to be a loving parent who says it regularly.

When my dd2 was a few days old I was holding her, I must have been gazing lovingly at her because dd1 (2.10) said "you love her don't you?"

every day with dd1 (3.10) part of nightime routine
Me: Love you
DD1: Love you to the moon and back
Me: love you to moon and back with a cherry on the top
Bizarre and not sure how it ended up in that routine but she will not go to sleep until we've done it (strangely if DH o my parents etc doing bedtime she doesnt do it)

DD2 (18 months) I tell her every bedtime and probably a few times in the day as she is into cuddles/kisses (or licking you ) she just giggles

Everyday and then we have the 'Love you more' debate!!!

All the time. He is now a bit weary of it (is almost 7 so FAR too big for that nonsense!) but I am always grabbing him for a cuddle and telling him I love him.

Sometimes I say "I love you" and he responds with "I hate you" with a big grin - knows it means a chase and a cuddle/tickle fight till he tells me he loves me.

Several times a day to ds (9).

Replies vary. If it's just me and him he might say "I love you too", or just "I know". If we're outside the house (even if it's just the two of us) he'll say "NOT in public!"

Very often if he can't think of anything to say he'll drop in "Ooh, I just LLLLOOOOVVVVEEEE you!!" which is lovely.