Ways To Say "I Love You"

Do you buy your children a special gift for Valentine's Day?  Maybe you get them a little present, or some candy, or a card?  Or, maybe you figure they will get enough candy and valentines at school?

I've never been big on Valentine's Day.  It seems a bit ridiculous to have one day of the year decided upon as the day to celebrate love, doesn't it?  Love should be celebrated every day of the year, but sadly we are often so busy with all the things we need to get accomplished in our days, that we don't take the time to celebrate the love in our life.  We don't have the time to buy little gifts, or candy.  We don't have the time to buy or make cards.  But, there are simple, free ways to tell your kids you love them each and every day.  Besides the obvious, (hugs, kisses, a pat on the back, and saying "I love you"), what about some encouragement?  Think about the last time someone told you "You're doing a great job".  Think about how great that made you feel.  You are the most important person in your child's life, and knowing that you are proud of them will mean more to them than anything else.

So, here are 40 ways to say "I'm proud of you"...

1.  "Good job!"
2.  "Good thinking!"
3.  "Congratulations!"
4.  "Excellent work!"
5.  "I'm impressed!"
6.  "Super!"
7.  "I like your way of thinking!"
8.  "Superb!"
9.  "Beautiful job!"
10.  "You've got the hang of it!"
11.  "What a great attempt!"
12.  "You are a star!"
13.  "I love it!"
14.  "This is awesome!"
15.  "Very imaginative!"
16.  "This is a perfect example!"
17.  "Well thought out!"
18.  "Way cool!"
19.  "Totally awesome!"
20.  "You stuck with it!"
21.  "You mastered it!"
22.  "Great try!"
23.  "Quick thinking!"
24.  "I really like that!"
25.  "Terrific Work!"
26.  "You figured it out!"
27.  "You should be very proud of yourself!"
28.  "Unbelievable work!"
29.  "Thank you for all your help!"
30.  "Amazing effort!"
31.  "What a great listener!"
32.  "Your effort really shows!"
33.  "I really appreciate your help!"

I think the best time to praise kids is when we see them being kind.  How often do we tell our kids to "Be Nice!"?  There is no better way to get them to "be nice" than to catch them doing exactly that, and praise them for it.  So, here are some more ways to say "I'm proud of you"...

34.  "That was so nice of you to make her a card!"
35.  "How sweet of you to share those with your sister!"
36.  "I liked the way you were encouraging your teammates at the game".
37.  "I bet your friend really appreciated your help with that project".
38.  "Putting your arm around your friend when he missed that goal was so nice of you!"
39.  "It was so nice of you to ask him to play with the rest of your friends!"
40.  "I'm sure your teacher really appreciated your help today".

If you have a teenager, and think that all this praise would be too embarrassing, here's an idea I found...

Personally, I'm not sure about the "I love you because..." wording.  I would rather it say "I'm proud of you because...", but I still love the idea.  Read about it here.

There are 29 days in February.  I would like to challenge you to say one of these each day in February, and see the difference it makes!  Celebrate love each day this month, not just on February 14th.

(Speaking of "love", I would love it if you entered my Friday Feature giveaway here.  Thursday, (tomorrow) is the last day).