Where’s My Valentine?

A dozen roses. A box of chocolates. A romantic candlelight dinner. A thoughtful present wrapped with fancy red ribbon and bow.

Oh, a card with clever wording that says you’re very special.

What about a Valentine’s Day when the goodies don’t come your way?

Will it still be Valentine’s Day?

I sure hope teachers have gutted that awful practice of providing the youngsters they’re in charge of with a list of their classmates and then expecting each student to scribble classmates names on envelopes and insert  signed-by-them Valentine cards.

“Do I have to give one to Jaime, ‘cause he’s the one who always says I’m fat?”

“Now Melanie, you don’t want to leave any of the kids in your classroom out, do you?” 

And Ms Convincing Mom will add to this unholy conversation saying something stupid like, “Melanie, you want everyone to give you a card, don’t you?”

As a society, we practice some very unforgiving annual rituals and as parents, without a thought behind our actions, we fall prey to something called Valentine’s Day that doesn’t, in any way, help our kids grasp the reality of life.

But maybe this business of getting or not getting a Valentine card, even without a discussion about rejection and acceptance, paves the way for life’s challenges as our little darlings grow older.

No red roses on February 14th, when you’re a girl and 18 years old, may be easier to swallow if you didn’t get very many cards in the 3rd-grade classroom.

Those silent tears of rejection, many years ago, can jubilantly be seen as the precursor to no candlelight dinner when you reach the age of 30.

But it’s a new age. The cards are probably no longer a classroom event but instead young kindergarten to 3rd-grade students are posting their child-like romantic notes on Facebook.

And maybe even the boxes of chocolates are being ordered online to be delivered to that special person by drone or maybe Fed-Ex  is still employing humans.

A night out? Well, that may still be in operation BUT the roles have probably been reversed and the women are taking the men to the candlelight affair.

But hold on, not quite so fast, Ms Shirlee. This blog is supposed to be about Valentine’s Day being a mean-spirited time for those who suffered through childhood not being special to any of their classmates.

I haven’t forgotten my point. 

Every kid is special, and every parent – if you didn’t do it this year, do it next -ought to send their kids some roses or a box of chocolates. The kids can even be provided a candlelight dinner right there at home or, if the budget permits, at one of those places where the waiter gets a tip.

About that gift with the fancy red ribbon and bow?  Let’s hold off and  see if the younguns remember how special we are with their present for us !

Happy belated Valentine’s Day.