Thank God there is Charlie Brown to teach our kids about romance and rejection (along with the Mayflower voyage and the birth of baby Jesus). But we might lean on ol’ Chuck a little more for this holiday because, I’ll have to admit, Andy and I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. Some years we might exchange cards and one year (pre-kids) we made the effort to make fine dining reservations, but found the whole experience forced and cheesy (sorry to those who do head out annually, send flowers, buy chocolates or even jewelry … we just don’t get it).So we weren’t sure how we were going to introduce this holiday to our kids, but knew we had to do it fast to put some context around the annual card and $1 bills Avery and Alex receive from Grandma Foley each February. Luckily for us, we had the Peanuts Gang 30-minute special, and for Alex’s benefit, a holiday-oriented pre-school curriculum. The Busy Bees' whole month was dedicated to candy hearts and love songs, and on the big day, they had the classic heart-day tradition: the valentine exchange. But to ensure no one is left out (like Charlie Brown), the kids were just supposed to bring in 12 unmarked valentines so they could distribute them independently (and assumingly in some type of pre-designed order so no box is missed).
Overall it was a fun day for Alex, but if I was not still feeling a bit lazy in regards to my at-home valentines teachings, then the overzealous pre-school parents did the trick. My philosophy is that if they didn’t say bring candy wrapped in cellophane, then stick to the plain, cardboard valentine. However, many others must disagree, as Alex came home with a bag filled with lollipops, Sweatarts, personalized notes, a Steelers cup (I know, weird?) and enough ribbons and wrappings to stock a shelf at Michael’s. Lesson learned: next year I need to take a step-up from the drugstore Scooby Doo offering and ignore the teacher’s instructions.
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