A Lesson in Love by Danielle

“If loving doesn’t cost money, then why are people so stingy in giving love?”

— The Loves of Judith by Meir Shalev

One of the most important lessons in love that I learned as a mother to Danielle occurred one day back when she was in third grade.

Danielle asked me, “Mommy, do you love me?”

I immediately replied, “Of course I love you, more than you could ever know!”

She responded seriously, “Mommy, I know that you love me, but it’s important for me to hear you tell me that you love me.” From that day and on, I did my best to tell her every day how much I love her. Sometimes, as parents, we’re so wrapped up in the daily routine and race of life that we forget to tell our children what, to us, is most obvious: That we love them. Danielle taught me that a child needs to hear this again and again and again, as often as possible. Each and every one of us, in our own immediate circles, needs to remember not only to bestow, but also to talk love, as author Meir Shalev puts it, “Don’t be stingy in love.”  We must shower our children with all the love in the world, in every language, and through every means—just by our mere presence. And most important, to tell the people closest to us how much we love them.

Danielle’s Book, A Letter from Mom