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The older I get, the more I appreciate my parents and the more I realize how much I care about them. I think the love is naturally there, but it's not always obvious or easy.

I don't think the feeling is always mutual - lotsss of tension in DH's family. particularly between the kids and their parents.

actually, tension is putting it nicely..its much more like estrangement.

I love my parents unconditionally. No matter what they've done/do I still love them the same.

I do not love my mom unconditionally. That may make me a terrible person, but I don't. I'm trying hard to get to a good place with her, but she far too easily cut me out of her life for half a year when she and my dad separated in 2009, and that, along with other things, makes it a bit hard to say 'unconditionally.' I hope SO MUCH that things are better with my LO! I would hate for my child to ever say that about me

I love my mom unconditionally, but not my dad. I mean, I love my dad but I don't like him. He was verbally and emotionally abusive for my whole life. I feel like I only love him out of obligation because he's my dad. I feel like I have legitimate reasons for feeling that way about him though.

"unconditionally" means without condition, right? So in that case, I don't love anyone unconditionally. I love my mother--she's an amazing woman, an amazing person, and has always been an amazing mom. But it's definitely not unconditional. If I found out tomorrow she was secretly a child abuser, or a serial murderer, or what-have-you, I think all of my respect, and therefore love, would change. The same with my dad. I had a pretty ideal upbringing and my parents were awesome. But If I found out now (he's passed away) that he'd secretly been some kind of horrible person that I didn't know about, then my opinion towards him would change.

It will probably be the same with my kids one day. I think I'll always love them--but my little sister's mental illness has taught me that even my saint-like mother has limits. When my sister is on a real bender--screaming, raging, making terrible choices, not taking her meds, trying to bring strange/bad people into my mom's house, my mother struggles and is torn between wanting to kick her out (even though that means she'll be living on the streets) and letting her stay. I think if my sister ever did something really bad, that harmed other people, we would *love* her, but we also wouldn't try to protect her.

So...I guess I don't believe in unconditional love. At least coming from me. I'm too rational. I can see that I love the people I do because they are deserving of my love and respect. If that makes sense.

No. I do not love my parents unconditionally and I don't feel bad about that at all. They didn't do a good job as parents and I don't feel any obligation to love them just because they're my parents.

It depends though; I think in most cases, unconditional love is earned. If I had great parents who did well by me into my adulthood (or tried to), I could easily see being able to love them unconditionally as an adult. I love my husband unconditionally, but only after he proved himself to be trustworthy and loving in the early stages of our relationship.

I think children are the only people we can love absolutely unconditionally. My daughter is the only person I have loved for no reason other than the fact that she exists. I am reminded every day that I have to earn her love in return.