Do you, as a father, tell your son you love him?

Yes I do, daily. He’s 3 and I initiate saying it 1-3x a day. In the morning, when I leave for work, when he goes to bed. And I respond to him with it whenever he says it to me. I still take on a traditional male role in my family, I.e. I do most of the dangerous playing, I do most of the stern discipline, I also work more, and I am less emotional. But none of those things make me feel like I shouldn’t be saying I love him, because I do, whole heartedly. And I’m not a gentle parent by any means but I feel like when I am harsh, strict or stern with him he should know I still love him despite him being told off. My Dad was an absolutely incredible dad. I probably only heard him say he loves me once a week - month. Which was plenty enough I don’t need heart to hearts all day every day. And when my son grows up I imagine I won’t say it as often. He will know from our relationship, as I did with my Dad, that I love him. I think you should weigh up what you want to achieve as a parent and what your role is. If you’re with your partner who is the Mum and she is very very emotionally in touch with your child, you may want to not be so heavily emotional with them, to provide a level of balance. I’m not saying deny anything, just don’t gush. Personal choice tho.