about Valentine's cards for children?

[LifeIsButtercream]

Ex-H has sent DD (21months) a Valentine's card.....

..... a special 'To My Daughter' Valentine's card.....

.....last time I checked Valentine's Day was for couples? I've found cards all over the place 'Happy Valentine's Day to my dog/cat/parents/left toe/nearby lamp post'

AIBU in thinking this is a little bit of commercial over-kill?

And for the record - I'm not just sulking because my toddler has more Valentines this year than I do (i.e. she has one)

My father sends me a lovely, valentine every year(am now in my 40s) - always anonymous. Nothing to do with little princesses etc.

We don't live near him, and I think it's fab and treasure it each year. It reminds me of how much my father has always loved me, and how this has been something wonderful in my life.

I am encouraging DP to do the same for DD. Knowing that your father thinks that you're wonderful is a very positive thing for anyone, and thinking that it's creepy or weird is definitely overthinking.

I do think its got a bit commercialised, but when DS1 was about 3 and he saw DH and I swapping valentines cards and chocs etc, he asked why we gave them and I explained that you give cards to the one you love. He was SO upset, asking why I didn't send one to him! So every year from then on I've made cards for DS1 and DS2, and they make them for me. Nothing fancy just something so they know I DO love them too!!

Referring to the OP yes it's commercial overkill, of course it is.

So is Christmas and so is Easter.
In fact I see the exchange of Chocolate Eggs at Easter possibly even more pointless.

Unless there is some great significance to the chocolate eggs that I'm not aware of what with being born only minutes ago

My partner's daughter gets a valentine's card from her father. I found this odd at first but she & her mother seems quite happy and there is nothing sinister about it.

Equating it with 'sexualisation of children' is just silly.

I put a single heart-shaped haribo sweet in DS1's lunchbox today. I don't think it's weird!

It is over commercialisation.

(but I did use the reminder to put a note in DD's lunchbox telling her I love her)

runs away

Yeah I guessed that much but chocolate eggs. More like obesity and obligation.

All these traditions seem to flawed one or another.

Cherry Menlove has written a valentine to both her children - so there!

Off to plan a candlelight dinner tonight with my children. Possibly...

Oh well if Cherry Menlove does it... (Who the feck is Cherry Menlove? Is she a porn star?)

Right thats decided it, Boiled Eggs this year

My DS(9) got a bit upset this morning when he got his chocolate lolly because he felt bad that he hadn't got us anything. Suppose theres the flaw in that. By wanting to make him feel loved I ended up making him feel bad.

Heard a woman (Sally Magusson's sister as it happens) talk on the radio this morning (the deep dark half hour before the Today programme kicks off) about how her mother used to give her and her sister a handmade Valentine every year (anonymous of course!) with SWALK on the envelope. This sounded just right.

DDs are at the moment busy making cards from their Dad. (Hald term craft activity alert....)

I agree that St Valentine's is about ROMANTIC love. Traditionally Valentine's day cards were sent by single people - You'd send a card to someone you fancied!

If you're married you hopefully declare your love to each other in many ways already. Yes, you can have a lovely meal together on Valentine's day (and I'm looking forward to one with dh tonight), but I don't see a need to buy a commercial card for my dh to prove that I love him.

And I tell my children that I love them throughout the year. They do not need a card, especially not a commercial, romantic one, to feel loved. Let's protect our children from all this early commercialisation and sexualisation.

You know it's one of life's little pleasures, just nice to know someone loves you, young or old.

It WAS about romantic love. The lines are are soooo blurred now it's more just about love.

After this morning I actually agree that we shouldn't buy into it in quite such a blinkered fashion.
Sexualisation though?? Depends on how you are putting it across.

Bras for little girls, primary children being allowed to watch Eastenders and the like that's exposing them to sexualisation.
A chocolate lolly on Valentines Day, misguided though it may have been is not sexualising anything.

Valentines Day is about romantic love imo. DH normally buys me lovely flowers and I make us a romantic meal . In the shops St Valentines gifts are very 'romantic' imo - lots of sexy underwear, jewelry, heart shaped sweets, red roses etc. In other words to me Valentines Day is about romantic, sexual love and attraction.

Our children need not be involved in this imo. Of course we love them and show them that we do so every day, but not with purchased commercial, tacky sexual cards but with lots of hugs and kisses instead. I particularly hate the 'daddy's little princess' business - yuck!

Oh for goodness sake Swallowed stop making so much bloody sense.

If you would just stop putting your opinion forward in such a sensible, non judgemental manner I could pootle around as normal without giving the whys and wherefores a second thought.

Well, here's what happened in our house.

I left DP a card and lots of little chocolate hearts spread all over the bathroom (they were wrapped before anyone jumps on me for putting something to eat in the bathroom..!!), so he'd find them when he went in to shower (he gets up at 5.50, and I DON'T!!). He then took 8 of the little hearts, and left 2 outside each of our DSs bedroom doors, so that I could tell them that we love them all.

I thought that was rather sweet. DP also left me a card in the kitchen which said that "I am so glad you are mine. And proud". It had 'tokens' in it for things like breakfast in bed, a night out dancing, a cosy night in, hugs and kisses etc. The kids all read the card, and were even discussing when I should cash some of the tokens in.

I thought it was a lovely morning. The kids got an unexpected treat of small chocolate, a reminder that we love them, and they got to see that their dad/step dad had given their mum/step mum a lovely card to say he loves her. I want them to learn how to do that for themselves once they're older...!

Tonight, we'll show eachother our appreciation, once all kids are asleep....

My mum always made me a Valentines Day card when I was little. She still does my Christmas stocking too

I am a practising Christian but I will not be sending Easter cards!

Of course St Valentines Day is about romantic love - DH and I give each other small treats and we enjoy a romantic meal together. No need for any cheesy commercial cards or any other shop bough tat.

Our children do not need to be part of this, just as they are not part of dh and my anniversary celebrations or any other part of our romantic life. They get enough attention already and know we love them.