Happy Valentine's Day!

This holiday is almost completely overlooked by our family at times. I buy valentines when they go on clearance after the big day so I don’t have to think about it the following year (and also because I’m cheap). Consequently, the kids know they can just rummage in the bin in the storage room and pull out a new box of cards for their class. They get pretty excited about that part, actually. Now that they can all read and write for themselves, all I have to do is provide a little candy for them to tape onto the notes they will distribute. My biggest reminder that Valentine’s Day is coming up is by the fact that once they begin the project, little heart stickers and odd cards litter the kitchen table for the better part of the week prior to their parties. Finally on the day of, I see that there are some that say “Mom” in the “to” space and it dawns on me that I’d better write out cards of love and appreciation to my children as well.

It’s not that I don’t like to show love to my children or my husband, I like to think that it’s something that I do all the time. The problem lies in the tendency for Valentine’s Day to coincide with two other events (at opposite ends of the spectrum) that easily detract from it. First of all, it always seems to fall on the same weekend as our Stake Conference, and when you’re married to the Stake President, it ties up a bit of time. Secondly, the school science fair is usually the week following, so there is a frantic push to get projects and display boards done over the weekend because it’s less likely to be done very well on a school night. I thought of a “thirdly” too: John and I celebrate the day we got engaged every February 4th. We’ve already had a special date this month, and Valentine’s Day doesn’t do as much for romance by comparison.

While talking to a good friend of mine yesterday, she made the comment, “I love this holiday because it’s the one where my kids are most likely to think of giving instead of receiving.” How profound! Where I’ve always thought of this as a laid-back kind of holiday where I don’t have to do very much, I realize that perhaps I’ve been missing an opportunity to teach my children a valuable lesson in giving. On one hand, I think they get the concept pretty well without me interfering. On the other hand, by not pointing it out to them, perhaps the lesson will be completely lost as time goes on. They’re only in elementary school for so long, after all.

So as I sit here at my computer, listening to my children watching a church movie in the room beneath me, I reflect on the idea of changing my perspective a little. I would do well to encourage their spirit of love and giving by devoting a little more of my time and attention to enjoying this holiday we call Valentine’s Day. And there is certainly much to be gained by nurturing a little more love for family and friends.

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