I love you when you're mad

a mum wrote this on the internet with no idea she was describing the exact thing we built a card deck around.

"every once in a while after my kids have a big tantrum, once things have settled, I'll tell them: I love you when you're mad. I love you when you're sad. I love you when you're happy. I love you when you're grumpy. I love you all the time."

she wasn't trying to be profound. she was just tired, post-tantrum, reaching for something to say. and what came out was the whole point: love that doesn't leave the room when the feeling gets big. said out loud. after, not during. when she can actually hear it.

that's the five minutes between us was built for. not the tantrum. the bit right after.