Saying I Love You to Mom & Dad

Saying I love you to your parents can get more challenging as everyone gets older. You've come to know their weaknesses and strengths, had painful conversations, or built walls of silence. Maybe you've disappointed or even betrayed one another. Abuse or mental illness could have damaged your relationship. Parent-child relationships get tangled – sometimes forever. How to say I love you may be the last thing on your list.

On the other hand, saying I love you to your parents could be easier than ever because you realize that they're getting old and won't be around forever. Perhaps you're ill – you may not outlive them.

Regardless of whether saying I love you to your mom and dad is easy or difficult, these 50 ideas will solve the "What can I give dad for Father's Day" or "What does mom need for Mother's Day?" dilemma. (not to mention birthdays, Christmas, and anniversaries!)

You say I love you to your parents when you:

1. Go to concerts, plays, museums, or galleries together.
2. See what they need, and find a way to fill it.
3. Give a gift certificate to their favorite restaurants or coffee shops.
4. Hire a gardener if your mom's garden is overgrown.
5. Play board games together.
6. Give a useful gift, like a wallet or address book.
7. Pay for an internet or computer course.
8. Listen when your mom or dad talks. They know when you're not listening.
9. Encourage your parents to get to know your partner and children.
10. Accept their choices – whether or not they accept yours.
11. Have a flattering caricature drawn of them together, or your mom skateboarding.
12. Turn off the television when you're together.
13. Be the first to say you're sorry.
14. Pretend you're a tourist in your city, and see the sights.
15. Give a magazine subscription.
16. Expect hard times, and remember how you weathered them together in the past.
17. Be polite to your parents.
18. Read the paper together. Talk about the books you're reading or writing now - or did when you were a kid.
19. Ask about their childhood; unearth the stories they haven't told you before.
20. Commission a family painting.
21. Laugh together: tell jokes, watch funny movies, look at the comics.
22. Share the good and bad parts of your life.
23. Stay visible in their lives by calling, sending cards, or visiting regularly.
24. Have a spa day with your mom. Or dad. Who says dads don't like pedicures?
25. Buy and refill gift cards to grocery stores and gas stations.
26. Appreciate their ways of telling you "I love you."
27. Recall both sad and happy childhood memories.
28. Set and stick to your boundaries.
29. Do a crossword, or solve a problem or challenge together.
30. Sign them up for a self-defense or safety at home course.
31. Deflect arguments by not engaging. Stay neutral.
32. Tell your parents what you like, respect, and love about their personality.
33. Pay attention to their nonverbal signals. Follow up on hesitations or dropped subjects - and your gut.
34. Clip and send newspaper or magazine articles when they're of interest to your parents.
35. Discover new restaurants together – or enjoy their favorite places to eat.
36. Go to church, synagogue, or mosque together.
37. Say "I love you."
38. Give what they'd like – not what you think they need.
39. Spend an evening looking at the family photo albums with your parents. Reminisce.
40. Go out for dinner and a movie – you choose one, they choose the other.
41. Take Yoga or another fitness class together.
42. Pray for your mom and dad.
43. Walk around the block together, or go out for coffee.
44. Explore flea markets, garage sales, or swap meets together.
45. Bring your puppy or kitten over for a visit.
46. Take them to the zoo, aquarium, planetarium, or Science World.
47. Send them on a cruise or two night weekend in the mountains or at the beach.
48. Plan a birthday party or anniversary celebration.
49. Pray with your parents.
50. Support their hobbies with your money, time, and attention.

If you enjoyed this article, you may like Improving Your Relationships. Start a discussion about this article - share what worked or didn't work for you!

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