I recently came across an article titled “Signs Your Baby Loves You.” It really got me to thinking. As babies, our little ones obviously can’t verbalize that they love us, but they show us with their smiles and expressions.

Gavin is at the age that he tells me he loves me every other hour. I bet you just said “aww.” Well, he also tells me how much he loves his Gator, his red sheet and SpongeBob. I’m just hoping my percentage of love is a little higher than his toys.

If he gets in trouble, he thinks those three little words are his ticket out of timeout. He will say, “But Mommy, I love you.”

To be honest, I don’t care what context he intends when reciting that phrase. Like any mom, I just love to hear it.

After reading “Signs Your Baby Loves You” I decided to throw in my own two cents. Here’s my take on “Signs Your Preschooler Loves You.”

1. He wakes you in the morning with steamy breath and says, “Mommy I wanna snuggle you.”

2. He seeks your approval in anything he does and wants you to watch his every move when he’s turning flips or jumping (off the couch before you can yell “no!”).

3. He tells you “Yea Dad, you’re cool. You rock.” (We still aren’t sure where that one came from.)

4. He gives you a bouquet of acorns and dead leaves and tells you they are pretty – just like you.

5. He sings his favorite song to you in the car (at the top of his lungs and probably to the detriment of both of your hearing, but you don’t seem to mind).

Eva Faircloth is a former newspaper editor and current Mary Kay independent sales director who resides in Loxley with her husband, Lee, and two sons, Gavin and Ethan. She can be reached at eva@cyrisoft.com.