The Concept of Valentine’s Day Can be Damaging to Our Little Ones

I love the concept of Valentine’s Day being about love. But I think we can relieve the stress of Valentine’s day for children as they mature into young adults by teaching them that Valentine’s day is about love and friendship so  they don’t  grow up thinking if they are not in a relationship on Valentine’s day that they  alone, even though they have special friends and family around them.

Treat your children out for a special meal on that day or provide them with a special basket or gift, so that they can see that Valentine’s Day is more than a day based on relationships.

I understand that society has a great deal to do with this concept. With all the things that are out there for purchase, but we have to remember as parents and teachers that our children and students are observing  everything and they are creating a perception of the world around them based on what they see.

Each year my son gets a present, card and a box of candy from me on Valentine’s Day, and a book which is a tradition in our house.

There are so many lonely people on this day. Because of the commercial aspect of Valentine’s Day. I believe that if we take special care in the way we approach any holiday it would have a long lasting positive effect on our students and children as they grow into adulthood.

While writing this blog I wasn’t sure my son’s feeling about all of this, I never really asked him, and now that he is older and I decided to write this blog, I thought it would be a good idea to get his input.

I asked him if receiving gifts for Valentine’s Day helped him understand what Valentine’s Day was about.

He said, “When I was a child I associated Valentine’s Day with giving gifts decorated with hearts to someone you loved. I didn’t know about the connection to romantic love until much later. You just never mentioned it.”

Then I asked him, when he received gifts from me, while not in a relationship did it make him feel less lonely.

He replied, “I’ve never received gifts for Valentine’s Day while in a relationship. But even if I had, my original thoughts about the holiday would persist. But to answer your question, it neither makes me feel more nor less lonely. It makes me feel more loved than if I got nothing.”

So in closing and based on my son’s responses, let’s make our students and children feel loved during each holiday and make the holidays about family and friends. The whole concept about being in a relationship with someone during Valentine’s Day can be damaging as they become young adults.

Below is some information on how Valentine’s Day started. Saint Valentine wrote a letter to a girl who he healed from blindness before he died.