Ah, the day that all shall profess their love with boxes of waxy "chocolate" in heart shaped boxes found right next to the onslaught of Easter goods at the local Walmart. Valentines Day has always been a bit of a strange one to celebrate. I think it's a fantastic day for the young lovebirds to really focus on each other, but to start it off in elementary school seems a little bizarre.
Valentines Day in elementary school is kind of similar to real life FaceBook isn't it? Build a little heart shaped folder to tape to your desk and hope that you get a bunch of "likes" from your peers. Parents and siblings pushing cupids will onto a 9 year old to ooh and ahhh that he got a valentine from his girrrrlllfriend. It's all of course done in fun but what kind of pressure is that! The kid doesn't have a chance. It's tradition so we can't mess with that can we? You must go buy a box of 48 little perforated cards with the hot cartoon of today, that have enough space to write a to and from onto it, fold it in half, and check the name off the provided class list. It's a bit archaic now isn't it? In a world of google and eCards, I am sure that some kids are wondering what this fuss is all about. What do you do with this bundle of generic cards that come home? Put them in the memory bin (aka the junk tote), keep them for several years, then decide to throw them out during a frantic spring cleaning in the future someday.
We gave our youngest the choice this year, and guess what...he opted out. We asked him a couple of times, did you want us to stop and pick up some Valentines cards? Nope. That was it. He is a lovable kid, enjoys being with all his friends...but has no desire to hand out paw patrol hearts to them this year. I can't blame him. It just seems like one of those holidays of the past. The commercial ones that aren't about bringing family together and really just focus on the hype. The exchange of valentines have been happening since the early 1700s apparently, until someone named Esther Howland began to sell mass produced cards in the 1840's. Well, I am sure Esther put a lot more work into her valentines with ribbons and lace; todays market sends about 145 million cards around the globe according to a bit of internet research. That's a lot of love at about $5 a card.
While a card can certainly say a lot, and of course flowers are also a nice gesture; in my opinion time once again seems to be the one best thing to give. Having dedicated time with your loved one as a routine makes Valentines Day just another day. Why wait for February 14th? I'm sure that Saint Valentine was a great guy, especially risking his life to marry couples against an emperors will; but shouldn't true love be something that just is? It's real chocolate for no reason at all. It's giving her the last bite of a shared dessert. It's putting the other first always. It's picking up a new book because it's just something you know she would like. True love isn't at all commercial. It certainly can be a day that some need in order to prompt a little more romance I guess, but it needn't be something that has to be purchased or pressured. In the sport of love, I think it's better to play the long game.
I guess that now that I have convinced myself that all is good here..... I better get to Walmart...I don't want to be outdone by any 9 year olds.