This year I was in charge of a Valentine's Tradition class for our Relief Society Enrichment, and realized we don't really have any as a family.
As a child, I always loved coming home from school on Valentine's day, and my mom would have put some sweet item and love note on each of our beds. The last several years my kids and I have sat down and handmade their valentines to exchange at school. That's been our only real constant. Over the years I haven't been able to keep anything else up often enough to call it a "tradition." I mean there were years when Dennis wasn't even on the same continent to have a date night. So, this year, in my research for the class, I saw an idea where you exchange names like a secret Santa, and do things for your "Secret Valentine" for the week. This idea involves secret acts of kindness every day that I planned to culminate in a great "unveiling" on Valentine's day at a special family dinner.
So, great idea...in theory, draw names from a basket. 5 year old McKenna comes and asks you if "m-o-m" is mom. Next, Sabrina gets "Hayden" and says "is this rigged? Can I have someone else?" Next you realize that realistically for the 5 year old to pull off any secret acts of kindness, she's gonna need help. Then, Hayden proceeds to start a list using clues from people and comes up with the entire, now not-so-secret list of who has who. So much for the "SECRET valentines" project.
Oh, well, at least we can still do nice things for each other and enjoy the love shared all week long. Again, In. Theory. I found out today that every day when I've made Sabrina's bed, so she had a nice fresh one to come home to, she just assumed she had done it herself. Maybe next year we try a new tradition....
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
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3 comments:
oh, boy. But good for you for trying. I too have fond memories of Valentines Day from my youth. We decorated shoe boxes, in class, then exchanged treats. Now my kids aren't allowed to do this as the school isn't celebrating holidays. Sheesh, it isn't even a religious holiday and why on earth would you want to block children from showing kindness to each other? I, being the rebel I am, am still giving the gifts out, we are just sneaking them into the backbacks when no one is looking. This will be the second Val. Day in a row that Mark is gone. Whatever . . . makes it a little anti-climatic if you ask me.
Lisa, this was a hilarious post- thanks for the laugh this morning!
Don't give up. Your kids are still young. We do this at Christmas (and I will be remembering this for V-Day next year), and the kids are finally getting into it. You have the best heart! I hope your Valentine's Day is sweet!
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