So, I don’t give a rats ass about Valentine’s Day and it’s not just because the hubs and I spent last night bickering over the state of our finances, tax return and credit card debt. (super fun times, but the upswing is stuff is getting paid off! you would think that would mean no arguing but apparently money doesn’t work like that, who knew?) Anyway, I have never really cared about Valentine’s Day, save for the excuse to get expensive chocolates, it’s not really that big of a deal. I don’t need to go to a fancy dinner or get a fancy present.
I do however always do something for Sprog and my various nieces and nephews (there are 2 nieces and 3 nephews with another nephew on the way) because like most holidays, I think they are for the children. Now, I know that most people wouldn’t automatically associate Valentine’s Day with children, since retailers have long jammed it down everyone’s collective throats that it’s an adult holiday what with the diamonds, roses delivered at work, giant balloons and spicy lingerie but I always associate it with dorky paper valentines in decorated cardboard boxes at school. I associate it with thickly iced sugar cookies, little chalky conversation hearts and sticky cinnamon hearts. So every year, I try to do a little something, for them. Last year, it was homemade heart shaped crayons and coloring books. This year it was a raid of the dollar aisle at Target. I know that half of the stuff I do for one set of youngins doesn’t even get to them because of their mother and her heinousness but it’s important to me to just be the kind of Aunt I want to be, regardless.
As a parent, you always wonder if what you do for your children is leading any sort of example, if you are breaking through the teenage shell of iPod headphones, axe body spray and apathy but sometimes they show you that something has. Sprog asked yesterday if we could go to the store and buy a bag of Blow-Pops to give to his friends as Valentines, then later he asked if we had any sugar cookie dough so that he could bake them cookies. He didn’t want to come to school empty handed for his friends with Valentine’s Day approaching. Of course he hasn’t considered doing anything for anyone in his family…but baby steps.
