Getting Real With Jennifer Poole

Every morning, when I drop my daughter off at the school daycare, I say I love you. She always responds “I love you too, Mommy.”

The other day another mother overheard our exchange. She asked me how I got my daughter to do that? I was caught by surprise. She said it must be because she is a girl because her boys will never say it.

As I drove to work I pondered her statement and realized that she was wrong. My boys tell me they love me everyday. Yes, it is a habit that has been ingrained in them since they were small and I am usually the one who starts the exchange but they still say it.

Every morning when my 17 year old and my 18 year old boys head out the door to school, I tell them “Have a good day! I love you!” They always respond that they love me too. Granted some days it is a grumble of a response, but it is still there. Every night when all of my kids come to say good night, they say they love me and their dad and give us hugs. Again, sometimes it is half hearted but it is still there.

I know better then to try to make my kids hug me or say they love me in front of their friends, but because it is just something we do in our family it is something they rarely shy away from. I don’t know if it is because it is something we have done since the day they were born, or if it is that we have learned to make the most of every day because who knows what tomorrow brings.

Either way, I love that I get to hug my kids every day and tell them I love them several times a day and have them tell me they love me. What a great way to start and end each day!