You care about them more than anything. You would die if anything happened to them. All you want is for them to be safe, to be happy, to have a good life.

And how do you show this? By yelling at them, of course! By fighting with them over every little thing. With—at least in some families—discipline and punishments.

It’s pretty nuts, honestly. It’s like that very funny verse in King George’s song in Hamilton, as the colonies are pulling away:

Oceans rise, empires fall

We have seen each other through it all

And when push comes to shove

I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love!

If you want your kids to feel loved and safe…maybe you ought to try making them feel loved and safe. If you want them to feel supported…you could try supporting them. You could try kindness and patience. You could try listening to them or answering their question—even when, especially when, they’re asking it for the sixteenth time (our Pause & Reflect Medallion is a helpful reminder here).

They don’t need you to just tell them you love them—they need you to show it. Again and again. In grand gestures and little moments, too. It’s how you remind them you love them. Even more, it’s how you remind them just how much love they deserve.

P.S. On a recent episode of the Daily Dad Podcast, Ryan shares more surprising parenting insights hidden in the hit musical Hamilton and reflects on what it means to show up where it really counts—at home.

Listen to the episode here and subscribe to the Daily Dad Podcast today!