Aibu to buy valentines cards for my children

[Ghanagirl]

Bought them on impulse whilst doing shopping, DH thinks it's a bit strangeð???

I agree with your DH. It is weird and when do you stop? Do you do it every year?

It's very sad people are finding it weird and creepy but I suppose it's because we're so culturally conditioned here to associate Valentine's Day with romantic love.

I def prefer the American platonic love version - would love to send cards to DC/friends/other family members as well! Am now surprised the card manufacturers aren't trying to push us in this direction - surely they'd jump at the chance to squeeze more money out of everyone...

YANBU Op

I don't think it is weird in a pervy way, more a bit smothery it reminds me of that book 'I love you forever' I find that creepy but some people love it.

Different strokes for different folks and all that!

If you want to, I don't see any harm in it!

I grew up in Norfolk, where we had a Jack Valentine tradition, so I used to love Valentines as a child. Jack Valentine was a mysterious entity who would knock on the door and leave presents before mysteriously disappearing. We never carried it on for my children, and I regret it now.

As we got older, we knew it was my dad, and we would try to catch him every year, but never succeeded - not even that time when he fell flat on his face trying to run away and had to lie low behind a neighbour's wall!

Jack Valentine

I always buy two small cards for the DC. The one for DS has a small muddy paw print in from LittleDog, the one to DD has a large muddy paw print in from BigDog.
I suspect the DC who are now teenagers have twigged that the dogs aren't going to Tesco to buy cards.
I think Valentines Day is cringy anyway so doing this has always helped me get over the embarrassment I feel at all this PDA stuff. Can't imagine the sheer hell of having to go out to a restaurant eat silly food in heart shapes and whisper sweet nothings to DH. We'll be indoors with DC having a hot dog supper.
BTW I have flowers, wine, chocolate and card from DH and I have given similar, so we're not total grinches!

You could look for a card saying 'I love you the appropriate amount'

I think it weird too. Checked with DS 16 earlier in the week that he didn't need to remember to buy a V card - he didn't.

Choptheduck those valentines pranks on that site are mean I'm glad they didn't continue.

I don't think it's weird. My dad always sent me one as a child. I bought my DS one.

Weird, weird, weird!

YANBU - there are all different types of Valentine's cards these days, so long as the words are appropriate is just a sweet gesture.

I don't usually get DD (9) a card, but she has had a 'treasure hunt' for chocolate hearts this morning, and pancakes for breakfast with 'I love you' spelled out in chocolate letters & strawberries cut into heart shapes .

It's just a bit of fun - and hopefully she'll have suitably high expectations of future boyfriends !

Dsis 2 gave dn one once and got a long stare and a 'fank you mummy, you have it, I don't want it'. He was only three and not iinterested at all.

I think the whole Valentine's thing is over marketed and I personally wouldn't buy fir children as it adds to the marketers greed. If there's a card they can.make and sell and convince people to buy they will. I've seen from bump to whoever, to my kids on Valentine's day. I find it. Weird for the UK.

As someone said Valentine's is also platonic in the us, which is where we are copying all this redundant commercial stuff from. I see it and roll my eyes: graduations every year for kids at parents growing expense, cashing in on valentines day, over hyping proms...it's just clever marketing to exploit money which is why I think it's weird that people are buying into the growing exploits because we all have less qnd less cash.

If you want to buy op, go for it. I find it weird myself but it's your kids and money. Just bear in mind though that if you start doing you may have to do every year lol kidsccan sometimes annoyingly remember.

And sorry for the rant but I have had ten texts this morning over watsapp group with everyone trying to one up the other with what their dp got them. Seems like these days have list their shine and become all about the money and spending not your partner. Im a bit cynical and disillusioned :-)

Don't get cards for the ds's, but they did get a chocolate heart this morning. I noticed ds1 has made a card at school and left it lying on the hall table but I haven't touched it - it might not be for me!

How much does a card cost?

I think it's sweet. My parents got all 4 of us cards and little heart shaped sweets/magnets/a wind up toy etc every year and it's one of my favourite memories.

I've carried on the tradition with DD and she thinks her card and chocolate toes came from Aladdin

I do think that the people who plaster what they got their DC's, DH etc over social media do have to think about their reasons behind giving the stuff beyond showing off

Rose not toes

I don't think it is weird.
I'm sure my Mum sent me a card a few times when I was young. Made me happy, nothing weird about that.

Ive never sent one to my sons though. Don't think they are that fussed about it TBH.

Chocolate toes...mmm!

I don't agree with it but DH does it for our daughter. I don't kick up a fuss because I don't think it's harmful on balance but I'd rather he didn't.

I don't think it's weird. My dd drew me one this morning.

My parents used to get cards for me and my brother when we were little.

It's more creepy to over think it to the point where love can only be about couples and sex and all that stuff.

I think that Valentine's Day has lost it's meaning really; it's become about buying 'tat', overpriced, insincere cards and chocolates. What's special about that?

I'm not a particularly romantic person but this kind of thing leaves me cold. It's like a prescribed convention that you simply must follow or be seen as 'left out'. What's that all about? I see posts from people who are sad because their husband/partner didn't give them anything... cards was supposed to be anonymous.

I think it should be left for the unattached - not children (unless it's a local tradition), and not the co-habiting (anniversaries are perfect for displays of purchasing). People just seem to want to muscle in on everything, turning it into a competitive display and it just reduces the impact of other special occasions.

That said, ChopsTheDuck, thanks for the link and your Dad sounds lovely.

It's pretty weird to be honest. However not as weird as the valentines cards I saw yesterday for cats and dogs.

I think it's weird.

LittleBear, when I worked for Clinton Cards many years ago, they had a Father's Day card that said, "Happy Father's Day from the cats"!!

I don't even want to think about that one