On love.

And no, this has nothing to do with Valentine's Day!

Lately I have been listening to Focus on the Family programs online. I am really enjoyed that, as it is such a blessing to be able to hear a program in English. But not only that but I am learning and hopefully growing by what I am hearing. Yesterday I listened to a program on raising sons to be modern day knights. I liked that analogy. The guest speaker has written a book on this, and I thought my husband should read this ( I would like to as well).

There were a few questions that struck me from the program, which I later proceeded to ask my husband over dinner.

• What does it mean to be a man, in your opinion?
• Who was your role model as a man?
• Did you father ever tell you that he loved you?

Knowing my husband's past I knew he hadn't had a good example as a father, so these questions really interested me. I didn't push them too much, because he hadn't ever thought about them, and I know I need to let him think on the topic. But what struck me the most was that in his family he doesn't ever once remember being told he was loved!

I have always known for his depiction of his Mom, that she loved him. But it seemed odd to me that she wouldn't have said so. But then we started talking about whether this was something cultural. I grew up knowing and hearing that my parents loved me, they were open about it. But Janis didn't hear these words- that doesn't mean he wasn't loved. But could it be that we (Americans) use these words far too often and emphasize their usage too much? I really don't know, this is just another thing that makes me wonder about where I am living. Is it just his family or all families? Is this true in most countries?

What do you think? How important is it that parents tell their children they love them? Can't we see it without being told?