I love you like Dad loves you!

Asher is my most affectionate child.  Multiple times a day he tells me loves me and hugs and kisses me.  I love it!  I know we don't have much longer in this phase and I am taking every hug and kiss I can get.  His new thing this week is to argue about who loves more.  This is a normal conversation:

Asher:  I love you                                                               
Me:  I love you
Asher:  I love you more
Me:  No I love you more

This back and forth continues until he gets bored and moves on. 

I then started telling him I loved him longer.  So the conversation looks like this:

Asher:  I love you
Me:  I love you too
Asher:  I love you more
Me:  I love you more
Asher:  No - I love you more
Me:  Well - I have loved you  longer

We argue again until he gets bored!

Then one day he stumped me.  In the middle of our normal argument his response was,  "I love you like Dad loves you."  I couldn't respond because I was stunned.  He was thrilled he got the last word and moved on.  I sat and paused on his phrase. 
One small sentence tells me so much -
 My son already realizes the way his Dad loves me is different.
That his Dad's love for me is greater than his love for me.

This is now Asher's favorite response when I tell him I love him.  Since I was still at a loss of words whenever he says it, Eliana said, "why don't you just tell him you love him like Jesus loves him!"  Once again my children show me  glimpses into their hearts.  So now thanks to my kids I love you from Asher sounds like this every time!

Asher:  I love you!
Me:  I love you too!
Asher:  I love you more
Me:  I have loved you longer
Asher:  I love you like dad loves you
Me:  I love you like Jesus loves you

This is all followed by laughter!  Surrounded by all the craziness of parenting remembering moments like this puts everything in perspective!