Is this a thing for valentines now???

[DailyMailHater]

Now I will start this by saying when we were dating / engaged my husband and I did do gifts / cards for Valentine’s Day but since we have been married we don’t and our wedding anniversary is the day we tend to mark.

Well this morning, my social media is full of pictures from people I know and the valentines presents they have bought for their children, the kids seemed to be getting multiple gifts…chocs, flowers, pjs, clothes, toys, sweets…One had all the gifts for her child on the sofa like it was a birthday, with a caption “can’t wait for (child’s name) to see this in the morning so they know how much I love them”
it never even occurred to me to purchase valentines items for my children I didn’t realise this was a thing if it had been one person I wouldn’t of thought much of it but seems to be the majority around here….I think it is madness.

@Nailsbythesea

I’m a single parent haven’t been in a relationship since my divorce. I brought my children a card each (£1 each) a small cuddly toy and a snuggle type dressing gown - why shouldn’t I ? Is it just couple that can have love in their lives? My kids knocked my door at 6.45 am with a card and morning snuggles. After school they went and brought me a rose.

Daughter came home with a flower and said one of the girls in her friendship group had given everyone a flower. I thought it was lovely
A whack in the face for all those ‘forced to get one’ as it was valentines - no one left out of the group all got a flower.
After the last crappy couple of years of Covid why can’t we celebrate love, friendship and families x

What a lovely post.

I couldn't agree more.

@T00Ts you have a point x

Social media wild displays goes beyond nations. I don't know any Americans who went that far with their kids and one of kids only realized it was Valentine's Day over dinner so it seems it's not a big deal at my DDs' English secondary school, but the internet is its own weird place with its own trends.

After dinner, I gave my kids printed out D&D valentines with goblins on them and some heart shaped Haribo. I wanted to do something cheery after a bad few weeks health wise. I have fond memories as an American kid with my cardboard valentines with sweets. I've always viewed it as an excuse to do something nice in shite weather, whatever the ancient roots of the holiday may be. I got a big thank you from my recently very quiet teenager & that's good enough for me.

And really, Victorian & Edwardian valentines weren't all romance and love - some of those 'vinegar' ones are vile & even some of nice ones aren't all for couples, so even for those who hadn't seen it, Valentines hasn't only been about romantic affection since before any of us have been around.

Our nursery tend to have the kids making cards for parents.

I made some heart shaped biscuits for my DC and told them how much I loved them (I tell them how much I love them all the time obviously!). It’s not a big deal but it’s just a reason to do something nice.

We don’t really do anything to celebrate valentines (unless you count m and s meal for 2) but I also noticed some extravagant gift giving to dc on my Facebook today! One woman had created some kind of shrine to her son with his photo in the middle and a load of teddies, roses and chocolates for him to wake up to. Some kids had specially made t shirts on saying things like mummy is my valentine. My ds bought his little girlfriend a teddy bear and she gave him a present too but that’s it in our house. Oh actually, I bought dh a crème egg 😂

It's been around for years - my kids used to bring home valentines day cards they'd made at primary school.

One year my DD bought flowers for me too.

I love my kids, but I like to keep valentines day to my PD. Though I admit, since I'm widowed and without a partner, when my DS suggested we got out to eat tonight I said yes, I didn't even think about it being valentines day!!

Guilty as charged! I bought my baby nephew a valentines card for his first Valentines as it was cute.

It was definitely aimed at kids as it said 'to a special little boy named' and came with adhesive letters to spell out the name. And my nephew is in the US so hopefully my SIL won't think I'm too strange!

@DePfeffoff

That really is ridiculous. The celebration for children is Christmas, there really is no need to convert Valentine's Day into something else that forces us to buy consumer tat for them.

Geez 🙄

No one is "forcing" anyone to do anything.
It's called, "choice"

I think there's a lot to be said for making Valentines Day about love in its widest sense.

Remember how crap it could feel when you had no romantic partner in your life? Celebrating your love for your family has to be a good thing. But massive presents...yeah, over the top. A heart shaped lolly is about right.

My daughter sent me a sweet card (no hearts or romance, just an appreciative and loving one) and a little homemade one from my two year old DGD. They made me feel good.

@GirlInACountrySong

if its now for kids....how come it never was before....certainly don't remember kids being involved back in the 80's,90's

why now?

Sales opportunity

I see it as about romantic love (definitely wasnt 'all' love until v recently) so it's just plain wrong to include children.

Meh. I’ll use every opportunity, even a commercialised hallmark holiday, to make a day more special.
Judge away - I made cards with DS with a fuck tonne of glitter and other sparkly shit on them, we exchanged chocolate and sweeties (OH, DS and I), I got flowers and it was all lovely.
It’s not causing any harm to anyone, I’m not forcing anyone to do it. Interestingly, I always got some heart shapes chocolate, biscuits etc on that day from my parents as a kid too and I remember how I loved it. It really felt special to me.
For those who think that it forces everyone to do this because kids will talk about it at school - talk to your children ffs!!! I don’t do/buy/allow everything that DS claims his pals do/get/are allowed. I explain to him why, sometimes he’s ok with it, sometimes he’s not but it’s called parenting.

One of DDs classmates has been taken to Paris for 2 nights!

Oh God, make it stop 🤦‍♀️

OH always gets DD something small, like a card and a chocolate. One year when my mum was staying over he left something for her too.
Never gets posted anywhere though.

I've always known a few parents who bought their DC something like a chocolate heart for Valentine's, but this is the first year that I've seen several people actually give presents. Of course it's all posted on SM, which is cringeworthy anyway - these are the same people who post photos of their DC opening all their presents on their birthday/Christmas/Easter/Halloween.

SIL does this with her two girls, and they just expect to be given something on every occasion now. She must spend a fortune over the course of the year, and it all seems to be chucked out a few weeks later. Plus, there are 20 photos (at least) every time; when they're older the girls are hardly going to be thrilled at all these photos online of them.

@TimePoliceTeam236

One of DDs classmates has been taken to Paris for 2 nights!

Oh God, make it stop 🤦‍♀️

I have nothing to add to this, but I wanted to say how much i love your username. Team Weird FTW!

Norfolk? Say no more 😉** 😆

😂😂

Always been the done thing in the US as far as I remember. Another American insta import?

I didn't get DS anything but I don't care what other people do. Live and let live.

It's just the whole valentine's day thing being commercialized, OP, so nothing new here. I don't see any harm in it though, and my niece enjoys getting a smartshow 3d valentine's video from me and sends me pics and vids back. We don't do any special gifts for kids in the family but if others do and it makes them happy let it be I guess?

St Valentine's Day is for adults, kids have enough already leave them out.

I remember a few years ago some very flashy parents at my childrens primary school caused a stir when they sent red roses to their 9 year old in school on Feb 14th. She had to go to the school office and pick up the bouquet while all the other kids looked at her. The Head was not pleased. I thought it was creepy.

Petrol prices, utility bills and food prices all going up and people are buying flowers and heart shaped crumpets for children.

What happens when these kids are single 28 year olds on Valentines Day? Will their mums rush round to fill their flat with helium balloons so they don't feel bad? Then post it on FB.

I normally get my two a little chocolate love heart, just for fun really

kids have enough already leave them out
By this ogic tho surely adults have more? The ones sending their kids stuff also have mothers or fathers day so given the current price hikes everywhere, maybe no one should be given anything nice ever

Thanks @GreeboIsMySpiritAnimal, I wanted just Team236 but someone had beaten me to it

I remember having to make valentines cards in school for my parents. In the eighties. So it's not exactly new to include children, is it?

When I was looking on a card website to get a valentines card for my partner, I noticed valentines cards for sons, daughters, grandkids and mum and dad from the kids and even the cat and dog. Why ?????