Dr. John Trent, author and family counselor writes:
"...A tragic misconception many parents share is that simply being present communicates the blessing. Nothing could be further from the truth. A blessing becomes a blessing only when it is spoken. Children are in a constant search for the spoken blessing, because our silence communicates confusion, leaving our children to fill in the blanks when it comes to what we parents think about them. When it comes to feeling valuable and secure, they often fail the test because of the absence of spoken words of love and appreciation. As adults, their emotional, marital, financial and low self-esteem problems are indicators that he or she was never blessed! It is not enough to provide a roof over our children’s heads. Without spoken words of blessing, children often suffer deep emotional pain, unnecessarily."
(From a sermon by Gene Edwards, "In Search of the Blessing")