This ‘love you!’ malarkey.

Aveline

That's not the same thing VioletSky. It's the meaningless 'love you' at the end of a call. It's overuse has devalued the true meaning of the words.

How would we know it was "meaningless"

If we like someone enough to spend time on the phone with them just to catch up with each other's lives... How is that meaningless and how can we assign that to the other person for sure?

Lots of unremarkable people have such an impact on our lives, I can't understand why telling them you love them is an issue.

JaneJudge

Lots of unremarkable people have such an impact on our lives, I can't understand why telling them you love them is an issue.

Indeed

We and our parents say/said "I love you" quite often. It's sweet.

It's actually a bit sad that a person is signing off with "love you" we hen it is not reciprocated... Let alone being thought of as false

On reflection, I know that neither my parents or grandparents ever told me they loved me, though I have no doubt that they did. I remember on the day of Diana’s funeral my brother phoned me to tell me he loved me, as he said listening to Spencer’s eulogy made him realise he had never actually told me. I’m not sure I have ever actually said the words to any of my children, but I’d hope they are in no doubt that I do.

I wouldn't say anything but I'm not keen unless it's a family member

If I suddenly started signing off all calls to family with 'love you' they'd think there was something wrong with me! They know I love them. Actions speak louder than words.

After reading all the responses to OP, it makes me think of my recent hospital job - managing a family trauma waiting room when victims are flighted in through the trauma bay - we took care of the families before they got to ICU to see their loved one.

Sometimes the patient didn’t make it before the family got upstairs.

Did you say “Love You” to your spouse, child, parent, sibling this morning when you/they left for work or school?

Those were always the hardest cases for us- especially those involving children.

Think about that - maybe your last words were NOT “I Love You.”

I don't need to say such mantra phrases or expect to have them said to me. In our family we know we love each other.

Always say it to my daughters and grandchildren, they do to me.

I know my elder daughter loved me, but it meant so much to read “I love you Mum” in her suicide note

💐 Annie.

You're a wonderful mum.

I would like to share this with you.

When Catherine married they lived a 15 minute walk from me,
she rang every night to say’good night Mum,i love you’ , wait for it, their wedding reception and evening celebrations at a local hotel, after the evening event I went home, 1.00am, phone rang, ‘good night Mum,I love you’, my reply - ‘goodnight darling I love you, now get off the bloody phone’ 😀

How lovely. Thanks for those precious memories Annie.

To family I say ‘Lots of love’ at the end of a phone call.

You hear this twaddle all the time. How can total strangers "love you"? They know nothing about you, and vice-versa.

I equate this with the very similar nonsense that crept in some years ago, people starting off a conversation with "How are you"? I've noticed that when I answer "Well, I had shingles last year, the marks are very slow to go, I've had a couple of bouts of the runs in the last month or two, just lately I've had some crippling sciatica, especially at night, makes sleep almost impossible, and, oh, I think I've now got a second hernia" . . .the person who asked "how are you" doesn't seem that interested. In which case, don't bl**dy well ask?!

I'll add on to this daft trend with another one, people saying "do have a lovely day" as they depart, or end a phone call, or as you pay in a shop. Even the TV newsreaders say "do enjoy the rest of your evening" . .that's at 10.30pm, so hardly much time left?! I couldn't give a rusty fart how THEIR day is going -- did this nonsense come from America, and we're limp enough to have copied?

Some of us who don't like it "bandied about" do still tell people that we love them when it seems appropriate and meaningful.

Thought I'd just say this as the assumption seems to be that it's all or nothing.

It's precisely because I want to keep 'I love you' special and specific to who I was talking to that I dislike the scattergun approach of mindless 'love yous' that seem to be so popular.

To the good DrW
After I laughed, I thought you might be one who needs more 🩷 in your life.
🐝 😊 not 😾

I doubt it Gundy. A thoroughly sensible non saccharine view of life.

DrWatson I’m pretty certain that when people ask, ‘how are you?’
it is a polite enquiry as to your well being as regards that particular day, or even time of day.

They are not showing an interest in your entire medical history

A client of mine once said,
'When people ask how are you they really just mean hello.'
He was right.

My cleaner ends all their texts with "KKK". I didnt realise what this means til nephew told me it was kiss kiss kiss.

I would have thought she was a member of the KKK.