Happy (early) Heart Day

Remember how exciting Valentine's Day was when you were little?  You would have the pick the perfect cards that showed everyone what you were made of.  Cartoon characters, jokes, standard Valentine theme.  They would be small and only had a space for "To:" and "From:".  They came with tiny envelopes and you spent countless hours addressing them by following the class list; choosing the right card for each classmate and picking the very best for the people that were just a bit more special than the others, secretly hoping they would notice the extra effort.

When does it change?  When do you start despising the holiday and saying things like " It's a Hallmark Holiday" and "If you love someone, show them daily"?  Is it that you have had a really cruddy Valentine's Day or do you just get older, wiser and realize those statements have some truth to them?  That Hallmark is the original bully.  Making people feel worthless if they aren't shown affection on an otherwise regular day.  Next to all of those flowers and boxes of chocolates, there should be tissues and a bottle of booze so you can forget the blasted day.

So what do you do as a mom?  You let your child enjoy the magic.  You celebrate it in hopes that your kid will be one of the people that enjoys it.  You make sure that you aren't the cause of their distaste for Hallmark and the pressures it puts on our society.  You spend hours helping assemble cards and checking the class list to ensure that no child is forgotten.  You suggest that each child gets a small sheet of puffy stickers to adorn their notebooks and t-shirts and you let your heart fill as your sweetie fills each card with warm sentiments and signs it with love. 

Who knows, maybe .some of the magic will rub off on you.