Some friends invited us to dinner on Sunday and inevitabley as our kids played, the conversation turned to parenting.
This couple makes it a point to teach their children when they need discipline and always start with the words, "I love you and..."
Great relationships are full of love. If everything we say is motivated by love for the other person, the relationship can really blossom.
Making it a practice to say this whenever we make a request of or teach another person, can actually increase the love we feel towards each other instead of it feeling like an attack.
It's also good for practicing awareness. If what I say afterwards doesn't come from a place of love, then I'll quickly realize because the sentence will sound pretty silly.
For example, "I love you and why are you so mean?" vs "I love you and want you to notice that your sister is crying because you hit her. Do you see how sad she is?"
What helps you to feel love even when you are disciplining a child?