to like vs to love

When I speak to my mother and talk about … I always use the verb querer rather than amar. If I am correct, the former is similar to the verb ‘to like’ while the latter is similar to the verb ‘to love.’ But in my head I have reversed their meanings, perhaps it has to do with the fact that ‘amar’ is related to the French ‘aimer’ which means ‘to like’ and not to ‘love’; in Spanish and French, ‘amar’ and ‘amour’ respectively, mean ‘to love’ so it is peculiar that ‘aimer’ should be ‘to like.’ Nevertheless, I feel that when I say ‘querer’ (in my head translating it as ‘to love’), I make it easier for my mother to understand … to follow.