The last verse of the third chapter of Matthew records a significant post-baptismal occurrence as Jesus came out of the water:

"And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Ponder those last six words of the Father regarding His Son: ". . . in whom I am well pleased." Certainly, this is a model parents can follow, an example of the importance of acknowledging the love, respect or admiration they have for their children.

Years ago, the late Elder Marvin J. Ashton of the Quorum of the Twelve related this touching account by a man named John Powell:

"It was the day my father died. . . . In the small hospital room, I was supporting him in my arms, when. . . my father slumped back, and I lowered his head gently onto the pillow. I . . . told my mother. . . .

" 'It's all over, Mom. Dad is dead.'

"She startled me. I will never know why these were her first words to me after his death. My mother said: 'Oh, he was so proud of you. He loved you so much.'

"Somehow I knew . . . that these words were saying something very important to me. They were like a sudden shaft of light, like a startling thought I had never before absorbed. Yet there was a definite edge of pain, as though I were going to know my father better in death than I had ever known him in life.

"Later, while a doctor was verifying death, I was leaning against the wall in the far corner of the room, crying softly. A nurse came over to me and put a comforting arm around me. I couldn't talk through my tears. I wanted to tell her:

" 'I'm not crying because my father is dead. I'm crying because my father never told me that he was proud of me. He never told me that he loved me. Of course, I was expected to know these things. I was expected to know the great part I played in his life and the great part I occupied of his heart, but he never told me.' " (The Secret of Staying in Love, Niles, Ill.: Argus, 1974, p. 68.)

Often, we hear people say that they don't need to tell of their love in words because they show their love in actions. Yes, actions do speak louder than words, and it is more important to demonstrate love than to merely talk about it. However, it's also important to express love in words. Children often need reassurance. And many, in their tender years, do not understand how deeply rooted a parent's love can be.

In some twist of human nature, people often can talk for hours about things that matter least but are tongue tied in saying the words that matter most: "I love you."

A father might say that his daughter ought to know that he loves her; after all, he reasons, he provides her with a home, food and clothing, pays for school and other expenses and even hands over money for recreation and vacations. "She ought to know I love her," he might lament. "I give her everything."

The danger in assuming that children know how their parents feel toward them lies in the fact that children might reach wrong conclusions. Some children might think that a parent has to provide for them; lacking maturity, they might not be able to differentiate between a parent's obligations and extra-mile efforts made out of devotion.

A couple's first child was born recently. During a family gathering several weeks later, the young mother sat quietly in another room with her son. An older relative stood in the doorway and watched as the new mother rocked her baby, cuddled and kissed him. Over and over, she crooned, "I love you! Yes, I do! I love you!"

The older relative thought, "She's on the right track. I hope she tells him that every day, not only while he's a cute baby but also when he's a temperamental toddler, a nervous first-grader and a self-conscious teenager. I hope she continues to tell him that when he's a young adult making important decisions, and when he has children of his own. I hope she never stops telling him that she loves him."