I'm kind of glad Valentine's Day is over

First and foremost let me wish a hearty congratulations to all the couples who got engaged or got married yesterday. May the life you share be filled with love and happiness!!

So many couples share so many wonderful celebrations and memories on Valentine’s Day, that I feel a teensy bit bad for being a bit of a Negative Nelly this year regarding this “most romantic of holidays”.

I remember when I was single, I always wanted to pass through the middle of February very quickly. Back in those days I couldn’t stand all the lovey-dovy hearts and messages all over the place. No one was getting me jewelry. No one was getting me chocolate or flowers (except maybe a commiserating girlfriend).

And now that I am in a loving, committed and completely wonderful relationship, Valentines Day is simply not the Big Deal that I thought, back in my single life, it would be. And I am MORE than fine with that. Yes, my husband and I always exchange a “little something” on the 14^th and we always try to set aside time for each other to do an activity (go for a walk, go for lunch, have a date of some kind… whatever ever we feel like) and to express what we mean to each other. But I have to say, we do those things all year long. Truthfully, Valentine’s Day is not that much different from any other day… except, I suppose, the gifts are sometimes more extravagant.

Having a day set aside just for love is a great idea for some people who are so busy that they need to be reminded to tell their loved ones how they feel. But for me, it can feel like what my father calls “organized joy”. It’s like someone telling you, “You will have fun riiiiiiiight…..NOW!”

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good excuse for a celebration and a chance to spoil my sweetie. And I always enjoy going out for a romantic dinner with Dan, it’s just that I don’t feel we should be pushed or guilted into doing those things on a particularly designated day just because the greeting card companies say we should.

Don’t you think the world would be a better place if we treated our partners well and showed them lots of love and affection all year long, instead of on just one day?

Now that we have children, it is fun to look at the holiday through their eyes… My daughter wanted to give stickers her various grandparents and our neighbors (but for some reason I forced her into making heart shaped cards). She’s only little, so she doesn’t really get the full romantic meaning of the day. All she understands is that it’s a day to show love to family and friends. She doesn’t really care about hearts or flowers of chocolates. Isn’t that the way it should be?

Happy Couples, Happy Planet!

Labels: life, parenting, relationships, romance

posted by Heather and Dan @ 9:06 PM