Dr. Laura Blog

If kids know how to give and receive love, they will do well in life no matter their IQ or socioeconomic standing. Here are 6 things you and your spouse need to do in front of your children to teach them about love:

1. Touch, hug, and kiss each other. Kids feel secure when their parents show affection.

2. Laugh. Not only does seeing Mommy and Daddy laughing make a child’s heart swell, but it also shows him or her that some things simply need to be laughed off.

3. Do nice things for each other. By doing sweet things for each other, you teach your kids that love is a verb. You demonstrate that love means caring, nurturing, and doing special things for another person.

4. Schedule time without the kids. Make it clear that unless there’s an emergency, after a certain time every night, your kids are not to come in to your bedroom. Go on weekly dates. Get dressed up and go out. Your kids need to see what romance looks like.

5. Comfort each other when times get tough. Physical affection during difficult times is important to your marriage as well as for your kids to see that it’s a part of love.

6. Work on projects together. By watching you work together as a team, your kids see that love is about “we”, not all about “me".