Nothing is more precious than when your child stares at you straight in the eyes and says, "I love you, Mommy." Those words leave no question in your mind that your child loves you because it is all laid out for you as clear as day.

But, as any parent knows, these moments are few and far between, especially as your child gets older or if your child is just not the type to express her love verbally.

To make matters more difficult, parenting is a difficult and all-too-often thankless job, leaving many parents wondering, "Do my kids love me?"

While the answer may not be in the words they say, but there are ways that they are telling you they love you without saying a word.

1. He's exerting his independence

One of the hardest things a parent experiences is when her child decides he can do it on his own. Whether it's refusing to let you comb his hair or walk him to school, he is not being defiant, mean or pushing you out of his life.

Rather, these actions of independence are a way of saying, "Thank you for teaching me so well; now I can do it on my own," otherwise known as, "I love you."

2. It's in the tantrum

Tantrums are never a fun thing for a parent to deal with. Whether it is your toddler kicking and screaming on the kitchen floor, your 6-year-old stomping loudly as you drag him inside after he refused to come in for dinner, or your preteen who gets mad when you ground her from her phone.

These outlandish and often extreme ways of showing anger or frustration, while often directed at you in hurtful ways, are not an indicator that your child doesn't like you.

According to an article in UK's Baby Centre, "Those screaming fits don't mean he's stopped loving you. In fact, they show he feels secure with you. He feels able to show his true feelings with you when he's hurt or angry. He wouldn't do this if he didn't trust you deeply."

3. She makes her bed

It may be uneven in the corners, the pillow might not be fluffed, the bottom sheet might still be pushed down to the end of the bed along with her socks she kicked off in the middle of the night, but she made her bed without you asking.

And even though it was her bed, not yours, this small act of service is telling you she loves you.

4. He gives you a bundle of dandelions

Unlike adults, kids do not often have the means to buy gifts but still desire to give tangible items to the ones they love. Often these gifts come in forms that are perhaps not as desirous, like a half-eaten banana, a picture drawn carefully on the kitchen wall or a handful of dandelions he picked on the walk home from preschool.

Take each gift as a sign that he loves you because that's just what it is.

5. She wants help with her homework

You know full well that your daughter can do long division on her own, and that she is perfectly capable of practicing her spelling words without you sitting beside her, yet, she insists you be there for every problem and every word written.

This can be extremely time-consuming on the part of the parent, but it may just be that in her asking for that time, she is telling you she loves you.

According to Gary Chapman, author of "The 5 Love Languages of Children," one of the ways children show love is through time, both giving and asking for it. He says, "People with the love language of quality time like it when others do things with them "¦"

6. She sits on your lap

Your toddler climbs on the couch to cuddle with you while holding her baby blanket.

No words are exchanged, but none are needed. The feeling she gets from being wrapped up in the gift you gave her while sitting snuggly on your lap is all you both need. You love her, and she loves you.

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