As of now, I would never say I "love" ice cream. Because I don't. I enjoy eating ice cream. I like the taste. But I don't love it.

As for people I "like more than ice cream" that statement doesn't make sense. Do you mean "I enjoy that person's company more than I like the taste of ice cream"? I wouldn't say I "love" that person. Just that I enjoy their company. As for how that compares to the taste of ice cream, any comparison would absurd.

Or you can love your children, and that's usually a very strong love.

I don't have any children, so I can't say how I'd react.

But I'm willing to bet when most of us say the first "I love you" in a relationship, we love that person less than we would love our child.

I've never thought of children as something to love (besides when I was young and "loved" someone a similar age). If anything, I'd see my own child as a student. Someone to teach. Again, "love" would be different.

We probably wouldn't be willing to die for that person at that point.

But then is that truly love? Also, I fail to see how dying "for" someone implies that you love them. If anything, you are depriving them. That's not a "loving" thing to do AFAIK.

I guess everyone decides at what point what they feel can qualify as love, and the point you decide "like" turns into "love" is higher than it was before.

I try to avoid the word "like" as it doesn't clearly describe what I think about things. It's a vague word that can be interpreted in many ways. Perhaps that's why I avoid the word "love" as well.