Learning to ride a bike involves a great deal of concentration -  balancing on two wheels,  pressing  your feet to the foot pedals,  keeping your eye on the road, steering the front wheel to go straight ahead and listening to the cheers of observers.  Before you know it you are flying down the street with the breeze in your face without even thinking about all that is involved with manuvering the bike.  It is second nature to jump on and ride  - that is how saying ‘I love you’ to your children should be - second nature.  What if you missed learning to ride a bike as a child  - could you just get on and ride one as an adult?  Probably not.   For those who missed hearing ‘I love you’ as a child, saying those words to their own children  is almost impossible.   To find out how easy it is to say these three simple, but powerful ,words to yourself first.  Then say them without any sound -  just move your lips.  Then say them softly so that only you can hear them.  Then as you get more comfortable, say them a little louder -  get used to how they sound to your ear.  Finally say them to your child and watch the reaction. Make this a new beginning and keep  saying ’I love you’ to your children each day - start weaving the thread of love today.  It’s as easy as riding a bike.

All children at one time or another need to be disciplined.  Even if the child was just praised minutes before he/she may need to be disciplined for misbehaving.  Parents who were harshly disciplined as children, may face the task of diciplining his own child with difficulty.  The painful memories that come to mind cause the parent to either repeat the same treatment with their own children or make a decision to discipline with  kindness and  respect.   By stopping the cycle of abuse and approaching the situation with calmness, allows each one to maintain their sense of dignity and self respect.  Disciplining a child  is an opportunity for a parent to teach a child a life time lesson.  When it is done harshly, the lasting effect is a negative association of the lesson.  But, when it is done with respect, the lasting effect is remembered as a positive experience and repeated years later with his child  in the same positive way.  Make opportunities such as disciplining your child a chance to let your child know how much you love him/her.  It is moments like this that make the bond between a parent and child that much stronger. 

Every child is different and unique in their own way.   Their uniqueness makes each one special.  Parents know their children better than anyone and what each one’s very special qualities are.  Give small jobs to them that they can do in a short time.  Make a point to compliment and praise for a job well done.  Hearing praise from you gives children great satisfaction in oneself which builds self respect and self esteem.  But most importantly your child will revel in the praise that comes from you.  Find a reason to praise your child each day  - even that smallest compliment makes a huge impact on a childs pride in himself.      

How do you think your child feels when you have called him/her a hurtful name?  Hearing  labels hurled at him, a child starts to believe them.   Abusive insults chips away at a childs self esteem and makes them think and feel that they are unloved and unwanted.   Make it a point to tell your child daily how very special he/she is.  Let him know that having him in your life makes you glad you are you. 

Children are smart and wise beyond their years but, they are not mind readers.   A child is able to feel your love when you hug them and kiss their sweet faces.  In spite of these acts of love they still need to hear the words ‘I love you’.  These three words, that are so simple to say and mean everything to a child, are so difficult for some.  When a child misses hearing those words at an early age an emptiness lingers even as adults.  Because knowing that you are loved carries so much importance in ones life, those who rarely heard ’I love you’ can remember the day, the circumstances, even the date, that they heard it from a parent.  Let your child know that you love him/her - start weaving the thread of love.  Say ‘I love you’ today and everyday so that your child will know without a shadow of a doubt how much he/she is loved. 

Wherever you look these days people are in a hurry going from one priority to another.  How many priorities can a person have and just how important a priority is it really?  For parents who have one or several children, trying to decide how to balance daily demands and  attend to priorities can be stressful.  Knowing exactly what your priorities are help make deciding how to handle them the biggest hurdle to overcome.  Putting less important matters ahead of a priority concerning your child adds to your stress.  By being able to prioritze what is and isn’t important you feel more in control of your life and better able to deal with the situation at hand.  A child knows when a parent is relaxed and taking the reins of a situation.  It is moments like this that a child feels  safe, protected and loved.  Know what your priorities are and put the less important ones off for the moment.  Show your  child that he/she is the most important person in your life and that you are willing to put everything else aside for him/her. 

As children learn to manuver their way around beginning with crawling and then taking their first steps parents praise them with wild applause and proud words of encouragement.  But each new accomplishment in a childs life is worthy of the same praise as their first steps which will help build their confidence and self esteem.  Small successes lead to big ones and as a childs pride grows, your expressions of love and support lets him know that you are right there with him.   This connection lasts a lifetime and, like a  priceless heirloom, will be passed to future generations.  

Children will ask the same questions repeatedly and because parents have already answered the question once they tend to ignore their child the second and third time around.  The child is not always asking the question becaue she is curious about the answer, but rather looking for attention.  Showing your child that you are interested in what he/she has to say and giving your undivided attention lets your child know that you love and consider him/her the most important person in the world by looking them in the eye and taking a moment to listen to what they have to say.  This small gesture of respect goes a long way in building self esteem and confidence in your child.  Start listening to your child - you will be amazed at how much you can learn. 

The act of talking can mean telling someone your thoughts and opinions, listening to their comments, responding with a question, listening, commenting and asking more questions.  The result of conversing is a better understanding of how that person looks at life and interprets it.  Hearing someone else’s way of looking at a situation from a completely different perspective can open your mind to others opinions.  Begin exploring avenues of conversation with your child that will open your mind to how he thinks and feels.  As you begin to talk and learn more about each other the conversations will become an important part of each day - a good time to let your child know how much he is loved. 

As each day passes ask yourself if you have spent your time wisely.   There are so many demands on each of us that it is easy to let time get away from us and before you know it you feel frustrated at having lost or wasted precious opportunities.  Make time for your children becuase time spent with them is always time spent wisely.  Give them your undivided attention away from phones, TV, computers and other distractions.  Make them know how important they are to you and because you love and care about them all the others can wait.  They will remember these moments and you will too.