How to Make a “Things I Love about You” List (just in time for Mother’s Day)

1. Reflect on happy memories.

Think about family vacations, birthdays, dinners or last weekend’s pizza night. Think about what made those moments special. Is it because everyone gets along so well? Because of a shared sense of humor? Is it the good food? The tradition?

Now consider how your loved one contributes to what is special about those times together. Are they the organizer of events? Are they the story-teller? Or are they the chef who’s meals gather everyone around the table together?

2. Look at what you admire about their lives.

Think about the way your loved one lives their life. What are their core values, their habits, their personality traits? If you were to describe them to someone else, what would you say? Is it their authenticity, their reliability, their work ethic?

That should give you some great information. Now ask yourself how you personally have benefitted from your loved one’s qualities. If they have an amazing work ethic, perhaps they have provided for you above and beyond. If they are incredibly authentic, perhaps they have taught you to be true to yourself.

3. Think about their physical traits.

This one might seem a little superficial, but it can be really useful! Perhaps you love your mom’s really curly hair – and you inherited it! Perhaps your loved one is very physically fit – and you love that they take such good care of themselves or are such a positive example for you or your children.

And if you are making a list of reasons you love your partner, then they will totally be happy to hear all of the things you admire about them physically. (Just make sure those aren’t the only ones on the list!)

4. Think about how your loved one inspires you.

The people we love ususally inspire us to be our best selves. So how does your loved one inspire you?

Perhaps they were outstanding in their chosen profession and have informed your career choice. Perhaps they have had a healthy, happy marriage and that has motivated you to be a better spouse. Perhaps they have always been there for you and that has inspired you to be a good listener.

Think about the kind of person you are trying to be; how has your loved one encouraged you to be that best version of you?

5. Think about how your loved one treats others.

The way our loved one treats the other people in their lives is a great place to look to find reasons to love them. Often they treat us the same positive way, but it’s easier to see in their other relationships!

So spend some time observing your person. How do they interact with other family members? What kind of relationship do they have with their best friends? How do they treat staff and strangers they encounter in daily life?

6. Consider what they DON’T do.

Sometimes when we are trying to think of the good stuff we get stuck. A great way to get the ideas flowing is to look at all the traits and habits our loved one DOESN’T have, and then flip that around.

For example, perhaps our loved one is NOT a workaholic. We could turn that around and say we love that they have a good work-life balance or good boundaries which make spending time with family a priority.

7. Get feedback from other people.

My suggestion is to take the time to think for yourself FIRST before soliciting input from others. But there is always value in getting fresh perspective from another source.

So ask other family members what they love about your special person. Their answers may spark some additional ideas you hadn’t thought of.

1. Create a wordle. This one is so easy and can be done in just a few minutes once you get the hang of it.

2. Let someone else make it pretty.  Etsy has many vendors who will take your list and create a personalized printable for you that can be framed or just rolled up and tied with a ribbon. This can be done in about a week or less.

3. Fill in the blanks. Purchase a pre-made Why I Love You book and just fill it in! You might have to tweak some of your reasons to fit the format, but it is a cute gift idea.

4. Make a jar full. You could make your own by writing your reasons on slips of paper and putting them in a nicely decorated jar. Or you can just order one and have it personalized!

5. Create your own book. You can buy a cute blank book and fill it in yourself. (Again, Etsy has a lot of sweet options.)

6. Share some scratch offs! This is a truly original idea and will be fun for both the giver and receiver! It would also make a great scavenger hunt. (This particular one comes from the UK so will require a little planning ahead.)

7. Simple and sweet. Printing out this page and filling in your reasons is the easiest and sweetest idea I’ve seen. You can also edit the printable by adding your list before printing, but I think writing it in your own hand is more personal.