Question about "Te amo"

Question

Heidita and I had this exchange (on comment walls):

Heidita's vocabulary list: amar = to love (for couples)

Natasha said: Is amar really only for couples? I say to my baby all the time, "Te amo." Is it wrong?

Heidita said: Amar in Spain is almost never used. Especially not for family members. Only for couples and then very rarely.
I would find it very strange to hear somebody say to their baby: te amo.

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What about in other countries? When would you say "te amo"? I am particularly interested in Mexican usage.

Answer 1

De mi proyecto de diccionario:

amar
1. Sentir amor por [alguien: CDir] ? odiar.
? En el lenguaje hablado se prefiere «querer», ya que este verbo resulta en general demasiado literario o formal. Romeo y Julieta se amaban por encima de todo.
? Se usa a veces con Dios, los niños y otras personas, especialmente cuando se expresan sentimientos muy elevados o que se comparten con un colectivo.
2. Sentir pasión o necesidad por [algo: CDir] idealizado, transcendental o indispensable, como la patria, la justicia, el peligro, el lujo, etc. Amo la música clásica.

Answer 2

Certainly you are right, but I'd like to know where this is coming from. "Te amo," for family members, is one of the first phrases taught in many Spanish classes.

Heidita said:

I think even there it would be a strange use. amar is used for sentimental love, and different to querer, which we use in Spain.I think it would sound weird to say to your mother "te amo". I certainly would sound very weird in Spain.

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Answer 3

I think even there it would be a strange use. Amar is used for sentimental love, and different to querer, which we use in Spain.

I think it would sound weird to say to your mother "te amo". I certainly would sound very weird in Spain.