Recently, I read in your [email] about how to connect with your small child. I got down on my five-year-old’s bed and told her, “Do you know that I love you wider than an airplane’s wings?” “Do you know that I love you more than Mama Kangaroo loves the little baby in her pouch?” “Do you know that I love you more times than all the leaves on all the trees in our yard?” Later, she told me with a beaming smile, “Dad, I love when you tell me those things.”

Great things can happen when a dad thinks creatively and expresses his heart to his child. And maybe there’s a nugget here that you can apply with your children. What’s in your heart for your child? During those moments when you feel pride or love or joy welling up because you have great kids or you grasp the privilege of being a dad, how do you express it? Those moments might not happen every day, but look for them and relay your feelings to your child.

Maybe, like Tom, you can share a meaningful word picture, or renew your commitment to spend regular time with your child. Bonus hugs are always a good idea. And every kid wants to hear their dad say something like, “I thought of you today, and it really felt good.” Too often, we dads don’t feel comfortable sharing our emotions, but we need to overcome that, and one of these ideas could be a good place to start.

One important opportunity to express love to our children is when they mess up. All children will make mistakes — sometimes big ones. But how do we respond? Consider how God must view us when we mess up. He consoles us and counsels us at the same time. It’s as if he is saying, “My son, it’s not the end of the world, but you’ve got to grow. If you’re going to be a good dad, if you’re going to make a difference for me, this is how I want you to walk and talk.” God loves us and forgives us even though we are far from perfect, and we should do the same for our children. (See Matthew 6:14, Romans 5:8.)

Do you remember when your dad (or mom) verbalized their love for you in some amazing way?  What about when you made mistakes?  Sound off, share those verbalizing moments here: