Some people refer to these as love languages. We each have a love language – i.e. a method of expressed love that means the most to each of us. We tend to give others the same kind of love we want because we value it so highly.

One books lists five love languages: words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service, receiving gifts, and physical touch.

If a parent chooses to love the way he/she wants to receive love rather than the way the child will most-openly receive love, the parent has failed.

Excuses aren’t going to cut it. Yes, let’s look back at our childhoods and realize that our parents did in fact love us. But let’s not stop there. Let’s commit ourselves to learning OUR children’s love languages so that our efforts aren’t as ineffective as what we received. The only way for generational problems to be resolved is for a generation to demand more of itself and draw a line in the sand. “Failure to communicate love stops HERE. What does my child respond to MOST?” Experiment with all five languages and take notes. Then focus on what makes the child’s heart sing.