The opposite of unconditional love, is ‘conditional love’. I cringe every time I hear a mom or dad say the following to their son or daughter, ‘Paul, if you don’t stop crying mommy won’t love you anymore!’ or ‘Mary, if you don’t tidy your room dad won’t love you anymore!’ Words have power and will make an impact on your children’s lives. These conditional words can be controlling and manipulative, and it makes your love based on conditions and performance.