Hi this is my first post !! Salute to y'all nice people!!
I am not a native English speaker so sometimes I concerned about if I picked up the correct word.
The word today is "affection". I try to describe a guy holds a little boy and like it as much as his own son, so I use He shows him(the boy) much affection like to his own son.
I am not sure that's the correct phrase, the reason I use this word is the guy is not the real father to the kid so love
sounds too much and like
sounds dull. But I am not sure if affection
make the guys sounds perverted, from a man to a kid. Because nowadays people need to be careful to show fondness to kids...and my native language does not has a equivalence as this word, we generally use "like" all the time :)
Also I am always confused about this word, it sounds like a little more than like but less than love but with some "love". So what is the normal occasion to use this word? Only to kids? a thing?
Thanks in advance.