How do we teach the true meaning of words?

Each evening I make of habit of reflecting on the day's events and my reactions to them. I think about how to handle certain situations better, how to be a positive influence and create an atmosphere for your children which is kind and inviting to promote our ultimate goal. Last night's reflection had me pondering the meaning of words.....

Words like "love". Which has so many connotations and how we as educators, adults, parents teach our children about this word. How do we explain to children that when we say we "love" cheeseburgers and then in the next phrase tell them we "love" them it means something completely different. Something more meaningful, wordless, priceless, above all else. I believe the meaning of "love" is derived through our actions. Sleepless nights, homework battles, wiffleball games, hugs, nighttime stories, laughter. Children feel the meaning of "love" before they understand the definitions. As parents, "love" is actually easy to define.

"Tolerance" and "respect" are two more words which mean so much and are so easy to use. Again, our true definition of these words is shown through actions, modeling, and sharing of moments. We need to keep in mind that our children model our behavior (they will never agree that this is true. When we get upset at the driver in front of us and say something mean that goes into our kids' "tolerance" definition. When we forget to wait our turn in line that goes into our kids' "respect" definition. When we tell someone their opinion is worthless, "tolerance" and "respect" is defined.

We need to practice what we teach to our kids, and always be conscious of our actions in front of them. Regardless of what they lead us to believe, when out of our sight, our kids do model us more than they know.