love; friend; family; feeling;
What is love?
There have been many poems, songs, movies and plays written about love. They are not all about the love between two people who are in love with each other.
Love is the word we use to describe the strong positive emotion that we feel about people and other things in our lives that we feel strongly and passionately about.
Kinds of love
There are many kinds of love.
||The love that a mother or father feels for their child.
||The love that children feel for their parents, even when they are all grown up. |
||Sisterly or brotherly love.|
||Family love where families care about each other even when feelings have been hurt or some people in the family have moved far away.|
||The love that grandparents have for their grandchildren.|
||The love that friends have for each other (not like a couple love).|
||Couple love where two people are in love and want to be together.|
||The love that people have for their pets or other animals they care about.|
||The love for music, dance, or arts.|
||The love for work, study, athletics, sports, collecting things etc.|
||A love for religion, culture, justice and fairness and "giving people a go."|
What love looks like
You can show love for people by:
||Showing that you care for someone.|
||Accepting that no-one can be perfect.|
||Being willing to help each other.|
||Forgiving when someone says he is sorry for hurting your feelings in some way.|
||Treating each other with respect.|
||Talking to each other and keeping in touch even when someone is far away.
||Celebrating success and special times like birthdays together.|
||Encouraging and supporting each other.|
||Helping when help is needed.|
||Accepting their differences.|
||Being a good friend. Our topic on Friendship will tell you more about this.|
Nowadays people often say things like:
"I love that song."
"I love running."
"I love that colour."
What they really mean is that they enjoy something very much or they really like something very much.
Love is a very powerful word which describes a very powerful feeling.
Knowing that you are loved by someone can make you feel safe, warm and happy.
What kids say
What is love?
- "If you like someone more than a mate."
- "You can feel love for a person, a sport or a pet."
- "Love is a feeling more than a crush."
- "Love is something you can feel for a long time."
- "Love is sharing." Luke
- "Love is a feeling between family, friends and other special people."
- "Family love is endless." Kayla
- "Love is romantic." Megan
- "Love is getting married or loving your family and friends. You should always love your dog too." Maddie
- "Love is holding a brand new baby for the first time."
- "Love is the great feeling your family give to you every day."
- "Love is when two people meet and fall in love and they care for each other and stick up for each other." Kayla V.
How does love feel?
- "You feel found." Kayla
- "It can hurt when it is broken. It feels good when it works." Year 7 boys
- "Attracted, interested and mesmerized." Year 7 girls
- "Love feels warm and fuzzy."
- "You feel safe."
- "You can go red and have butterflies in your tummy." Brooke
- "You have deep feelings for that person and want to be with that person." Summer
- "You feel happy, considerate of one another, caring, protected and safe."
- "You feel awkward but happy." Geoffrey
- "Your heart beats faster."
- "You think about that person every day." Brooke D.
- ‘You feel responsible." Liam
- 'You can't make someone love you even if you love them a lot."B
Dr Kate says
When we are little kids we often tell mum, dad, grandparents, brothers and sisters and other people who are close to us that we love them. As we grow up we may feel a bit embarrassed about saying "I love you" to those we care about.
Don't feel like that. As you can see there are many kinds of love. It isn't soppy or uncool to tell someone that you love them. How good do you feel when someone says it to you?
We've provided this information to help you to understand important things about staying healthy and happy. However, if you feel sick or unhappy, it is important to tell your mum or dad, a teacher or another grown-up.