Why is that sad? Is not giving and receiving between 2 human beings not a beautiful thing?
You do have to like someone to love them. You're confusing obsession with love.
The love of your children is dependent upon being a good mother to them. They will not love you if you didn't feed, cloth, clean, keep warn, show affection to, etc. Their love is dependent upon you doing your best for them.
Loving someone requires getting things we need and want. Giving love is conditional on getting love.
Originally Posted by Uncle Han
I still disagree with you, but am still very glad you are sharing your thoughts with us.
Upon birth we are completely helpless and incapable of "showing affection/love," (in a technical sense I mean). We have nothing to offer the adult in return. But the adult, by default, still loves us, even when we constantly whine, poop, eat, keep them up at night, and drain them of their resources. In addition, consider the population of people who fall along the spectrum of autism. In extreme cases, they cannot function regularly, and even touching them can be painful sensory overload (so they can't successfully be hugged and return affections towards their caretakers). Even with all of this, love for them can still exist.
BTW, who said anything about children?