A couple of weeks ago on Linkedin, I added this line under my bio because this is something deeply important to me:
“My main job is to learn to love the best I can and be loved the best I can.”
Love is the most important thing we do. Yes, love is a feeling, but it is also the millions of actions we do.
I remember when my therapist said, “We can only be judged by what we do.” Her point is that one might have all the loving thoughts in the world, but until we act upon them, no one will know we have them.
Our thoughts are irrelevant to others until we change them into actions.
Consider a scenario where a parent has the thought that he was impressed by his son’s patience with his younger sister when he just persuaded her to remove her feet from the table. However, this admiration remains inconsequential to Joey unless tangible expressions of recognition accompany it. These can manifest as a warm, approving smile as the son performs the act, a direct verbal acknowledgment of his patience, or a high five paired with a knowing glance if they have previously discussed such behavior.
Similarly, our emotions only impact others if we convey them through some form of expression. If the emotion in question is love, it remains unnoticed unless expressed through words or actions. For instance, saying "I love you," offering a gentle kiss on the forehead, or attentively listening to someone sharing a story they've written. These small but significant gestures are essential for making our love known to others.
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Recently, I have had many conversations with people about gift-giving, complicated relationships, and the holidays. Here are some points that might help you feel empowered and share love over the holiday break.
I said to my friend, “That sounds so hard. One thing that can be such a gift to her and can nourish the relationship would be to put a note on her bed that talks about some little routine you had with her when she was a child and how you cherish those memories. Or it could be a little letter about aspects of her that you find endearing or are in awe of.
The more we take hold of our actions to give our love and focus less on how others show their love to us, the greater our chance of feeling more settled in our hearts. And our actions of love do have an impact, in small and big ways.”
My friend told me she really liked what I was saying, and she might indeed do this.
I added, “Remember, even if your daughter shows no reaction to whatever you give her, have faith that these small acts of love do make a difference.”
I said to him, “What if you instead thought of some of the things you have loved about your mom and perhaps shared some of those with her or wrote them in a notebook and shared them that way?”
I kid you not, but tears started flowing down his face, and he said, “Yes, I want to do that.”
We all have a lot of love in us. What ways can we turn this love into gifts for people in our lives this holiday season?
What if you had a conversation with youth in your lives about the ways you try to show your love to them? Do they experience your actions and words as love? In addition, you can ask your kids, “What feelings of love towards friends, family, or their animals do you have?” And, “How do you share it?”
Learn more about showing our movies in your school or community!
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
Learn more about our Screen-Free Sleep campaign at the website!
Our movie made for parents and educators of younger kids
Join Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD for our latest Podcast
With new videos posted every Tuesday and Friday, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Here's what we published in recent days!
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Please click here to share your thoughts with us in our community survey. It only takes 5–10 minutes, and everyone who completes it will be entered to win one of five $50 Amazon vouchers.
A couple of weeks ago on Linkedin, I added this line under my bio because this is something deeply important to me:
“My main job is to learn to love the best I can and be loved the best I can.”
Love is the most important thing we do. Yes, love is a feeling, but it is also the millions of actions we do.
I remember when my therapist said, “We can only be judged by what we do.” Her point is that one might have all the loving thoughts in the world, but until we act upon them, no one will know we have them.
Our thoughts are irrelevant to others until we change them into actions.
Consider a scenario where a parent has the thought that he was impressed by his son’s patience with his younger sister when he just persuaded her to remove her feet from the table. However, this admiration remains inconsequential to Joey unless tangible expressions of recognition accompany it. These can manifest as a warm, approving smile as the son performs the act, a direct verbal acknowledgment of his patience, or a high five paired with a knowing glance if they have previously discussed such behavior.
Similarly, our emotions only impact others if we convey them through some form of expression. If the emotion in question is love, it remains unnoticed unless expressed through words or actions. For instance, saying "I love you," offering a gentle kiss on the forehead, or attentively listening to someone sharing a story they've written. These small but significant gestures are essential for making our love known to others.
Recently, I have had many conversations with people about gift-giving, complicated relationships, and the holidays. Here are some points that might help you feel empowered and share love over the holiday break.
I said to my friend, “That sounds so hard. One thing that can be such a gift to her and can nourish the relationship would be to put a note on her bed that talks about some little routine you had with her when she was a child and how you cherish those memories. Or it could be a little letter about aspects of her that you find endearing or are in awe of.
The more we take hold of our actions to give our love and focus less on how others show their love to us, the greater our chance of feeling more settled in our hearts. And our actions of love do have an impact, in small and big ways.”
My friend told me she really liked what I was saying, and she might indeed do this.
I added, “Remember, even if your daughter shows no reaction to whatever you give her, have faith that these small acts of love do make a difference.”
I said to him, “What if you instead thought of some of the things you have loved about your mom and perhaps shared some of those with her or wrote them in a notebook and shared them that way?”
I kid you not, but tears started flowing down his face, and he said, “Yes, I want to do that.”
We all have a lot of love in us. What ways can we turn this love into gifts for people in our lives this holiday season?
What if you had a conversation with youth in your lives about the ways you try to show your love to them? Do they experience your actions and words as love? In addition, you can ask your kids, “What feelings of love towards friends, family, or their animals do you have?” And, “How do you share it?”
With new videos posted every Tuesday and Friday, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel! Here's what we published in recent days!
Sign up here to receive the weekly Tech Talk Tuesdays newsletter from Screenagers filmmaker Delaney Ruston MD.
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A couple of weeks ago on Linkedin, I added this line under my bio because this is something deeply important to me:
“My main job is to learn to love the best I can and be loved the best I can.”
Love is the most important thing we do. Yes, love is a feeling, but it is also the millions of actions we do.
I remember when my therapist said, “We can only be judged by what we do.” Her point is that one might have all the loving thoughts in the world, but until we act upon them, no one will know we have them.
Our thoughts are irrelevant to others until we change them into actions.
Consider a scenario where a parent has the thought that he was impressed by his son’s patience with his younger sister when he just persuaded her to remove her feet from the table. However, this admiration remains inconsequential to Joey unless tangible expressions of recognition accompany it. These can manifest as a warm, approving smile as the son performs the act, a direct verbal acknowledgment of his patience, or a high five paired with a knowing glance if they have previously discussed such behavior.
Similarly, our emotions only impact others if we convey them through some form of expression. If the emotion in question is love, it remains unnoticed unless expressed through words or actions. For instance, saying "I love you," offering a gentle kiss on the forehead, or attentively listening to someone sharing a story they've written. These small but significant gestures are essential for making our love known to others.
Many adults keep their phones by the bed — it feels harmless, even necessary. But what if that habit is quietly affecting our sleep and the example we set for our kids? In this week’s blog, Dr. Ruston shares two key things every parent should know about sleeping next to a phone, and how small nighttime tech changes can make a big difference for the whole family.
READ MORE >
From Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto to violence and gunfire in movies and shows, aggression is a constant backdrop in boys’ media diets. And with various influencers and online personalities framing success through the lens of strength, competition, dominance and winning, boys are being handed a narrow script for masculinity. As parents, one of the most important things we can do is offer a counterweight. We can help boys strengthen empathy, compassion, and respect as core traits of masculinity, so they have a broader, healthier vision of who they can become.
READ MORE >
Last week we introduced you to our Screen-Free Sleep campaign! Since then, we’ve been flooded with emails and calls, and most are asking the same question: How can we get this spreading in our school? Today’s blog has the answers.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
