So I’m aware that everyone expresses love differently, however I’m starting to get worn down and depressed from my husband’s expression. Since I’ve known him he has shown love by gift giving. Surprises, grand gifts for birthdays and Christmas, etc. Rarely any verbal or words of affirmation and love besides the basic “I love you”. So we have two kids now. And while I am fine and accept it for myself, I am really depressed for my kids. He gets them toys as a form of expression of his love…but that’s it. He rarely plays or interacts with them and he gets easily annoyed by them. He frequently says things like “I get you guys things and you’re still bad! I don’t get it!” or “I got you a toy, why are you bothering me? Go play.” He wants to be left alone by them 90% of the time. Sometimes he has said things like “I got you that truck you wanted. You love dad now? You’ll listen to dad and go play?” I have told him so many times, they want to play WITH you. They want to spend time WITH you. But he just won’t. His idea of spending time with them is playing a video game or watching tv while they “play alone” and he gets mad as fuck when they bother him. For context… they are literally only 4 and 2. He was raised exactly like this. Kids should be seen but not heard and should not require much attention or affection. I know that he does love them, and his love expression is just extremely nonconventional, but it’s like he tries to buy everyone’s love so they leave him alone and don’t ask anything of him. That’s what it feels like. Here’s your (insert item here), now go away. I don’t know the point of this post. I’m just sad because it’s Christmas time and I know he’s going to be saying a lot of these things come Sunday.