“Mummy, will I get a
Valentine’s Day card?”
That was the question posed by my 6 year old son yesterday. “Probably
not, sweetie” was my reply.
What followed was a long discussion about what Valentine’s
Day meant; who got cards, why, why not, and why it all started (I had no idea).
My 4 year old daughter popped the odd question in here and
there, but mostly the questions were from my son. The kids in her kindy class
make cards for their parents – which is sweet and appreciated.
My son’s concerns were that the kids at school were already
talking about who they were giving cards to and who they thought they would get
them from. Did I say that he is 6? When he asked if he and his male mates could
give each other cards so they weren’t left out, I was a little stumped. Of
course they could, however that was not necessarily in the spirit of the day,
which was about girlfriends/ boyfriends (and I am making no judgement here on
same-sex relationships – simply that a 6 year old does not have a romantic relationship).
But I wondered, why couldn’t the day be about friends? The
main reason I felt uncomfortable with the whole concept is that Valentine’s Day
is just so much about marketing. In my job, I have received endless press
releases telling me about why I should be telling our magazine readers they
should be giving “sugar-free chocolate this Valentine’s Day” or giving a cute stuffed
bunny/ teddy/ dog to show they really care.
I have enjoyed receiving something on Valentine’s Day and
when we have time, my husband and I have made a special effort to have a quiet
meal together. That said I enjoy a thoughtful card or quiet meal even more when
it is spontaneous and not part of a set marketing calendar that tells us to share
our feelings on this date.
So in the end, I told my son that he should make his friends
a card telling them why they are special to him. It didn’t need to be a
Valentine’s Day thing, but that was up to him.
Do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? What does it mean to you?
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