there was a comment earlier about ending calls with "i love you" and it seeming like habit, rather than meaning it. i don't know how it is for the people in question, but DH and I NEVER end a phone call without saying it. if the call drops out, we'll call back. both of us have, in the past few years, lost people we care about without having a chance to let them know how much - so we DO say it every call, and we mean it then as we mean it every other time we say it. if he's being a turd, i tell him so - i tell him he's annoying the crap out of me but it doesn't stop me loving him! with DH's work being what it was (and is) he was in a higher risk role - and the last thing i'd want to face if anything happened to him was that my last words to him were something generic and meaningless. i DO mean it everytime i say it! i just don't want anyone to think that because you say it every time a certain situation arises (like a phone call ending) that it is any less meaningful. it really does come down to how you personally express your emotions (i think the languages of love was mentioned by another poster - and Kelly has posted about it in the past). for us, verballising was essential as half our relationship was carried out over the phone.

when DD woke me up this morning after DH took her so i could sleep, he put her on the bed and said "wake up mummy, we love you and want to spend time with you" - i rolled over and was instantly kissed by my poppet and got a big smile. was beautiful!