Mommy, I love you!

Sarah, my 4-year-old, has this quirky habit of blurting, “Mommy, I love you!” or “Daddy, I love you!” at random moments throughout the day. By our estimates, she does it 20 times or more every day. It’s endearing and pretty darn cute, but sometimes it causes consternation. Is this blurting appropriate? If she were saying something else, would we be worried?

So, I started paying careful attention to when she says it. After about a week of noting the times and locations, I’ve noticed a few things. Some of them still seem random; she just has to get that out there. Some of them are very deliberate. If I am stressed, if we are hurrying to get somewhere, if I’ve just lost my temper with one of her siblings (or with her), if I’m exceptionally cranky, Sarah gets in my face and says, “Mommy, I love you.” Every single time. Please read the rest here.