To think giving/receiving valentines from DCs is just silly?

[OliviasWhiteHat]

Just that really.
Tedious amount of pictures on Facebook 'oh how I love dc- happy valentines' complete with card and teddy etc. Having valentines meal with the kids, giving them roses etc
Consumerism gone mental if you ask me. I'd never send my mum a valentines card.
I sound very grumpy, which I'm not

The childminder made us a card from our lo, which I thought was a bit strange. But I didn't want to seem rude so just said thank you very much.
But I do think it should be a couple thing really

Funny you say that Kel. I'm a childminder & it's been the first year I haven't done any Valentine craft. I feel less guilty now that you have mentioned how you found it strange to receive one.

Is it a new thing? As a child I never sent things to my parents in the 1970s and I never heard of any friends getting stuff from anyone other than boyfriends/ wannabe boyfriends. Is it part of the modern trend of constantly telling your kids they are "special"?
Sending Valentines cards to your kids does seem very incestuous to me, it's about romantic love.

I can't help thinking there must be something wrong with people's brains if they want to sexualise a Valentine card from a parent to a child. I'll keep telling my son I love him and I'll keep sending him a Valentine's card until he tells me to stop.

I think valentines are for relatively new lovers and love struck teens. I don't bother with it anymore. A card and a bunch of flowers on any other day is much more romantic.

I find it strange sending one to your kids or your parents. St Valentine is the saint for lovers, isn't he, not saint of family love??

The wife got one from our daughter made at nursery. Its cute. I didn't get one though... harumph!

It seems to have become a bigger thing among kids than adults. Most adults I know basically ignore the whole thing, but most kids get all excited about making cards and buying heart shaped stuff.

I think we're raising a generation that has to go from one big event to the other and can't bear any quiet, uneventful time. Easter, Hallowe'en, First Communions, and now Valentine's Day have all changed radically since I was young. And Christmas has become ridiculously blown up an commercialised.

Maybe I'm just an old cynic, though.

I would have agreed with you until yesterday, when I received a valentine's card that DD aged 18m had "made" for me at nursery. It's now on display in the sitting room!

DS (12m) made a card at nursery addressed to DH and I, and honestly, receiving it was absolutely wonderful. I'm so proud of him growing up, settling into nursery and having lots of new experiences and the card was a little indicator of that (plus had his footprint in paint) so YABU.

I've deliberately turned valentines into a family thing - nothing major just a chocolate heart for the dd's and heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast.
DH gets a card (or nothing).

I always hated Valentine's Day at school and when single so this is my way of making the dd's feel it's a nice thing.

We don't celebrate valentines day - I don't need a special day to show my partner I love him. I much prefer random gifts and gestures of love when we feel the other needs it. :)

I also find the valentines messages on facebook a bit cringey why do all your friends need to know about how much you love someone? some people want to broadcast their entire lives or show they are the 'happiest' it just feels so false.

And yes kids and valentines is odd, most children have no idea what it means, the little notes I get randomly mean much more than a set school art activity. Most extravegant I have seen for the children was full on meal and hatchimal/chocolates/roses each.

I find contrived cards made at nursery and school the worst. Much prefer when they can actually express their own sentiments instead of being forced to.
Always nice to have the little ones footprints etc but no need to dress up in fake sentiments. I just feel like getting kids bothered by valentines is yet another thing that can in future set them up to place importance on what is essentially a consumerist holiday. I long for a simpler time.

I am all about celebrating anything and everything. We had a family breakfast, little presents (marshmallows and chocs) for all 4 of us. Then a romantic dinner just for dh and I. Oldest dd was not interested really (except for the sweets) youngest loved it, loved all the hearts and helped set the table as was very excited to know this morning if I liked it. I also bought a box of chocolates for my best friend and a boomf card for her son from our family.
We are going through a pretty crap time at the moment and a little bit of love won't hurt. Life is too short so why not celebrate the people you love at any opportunity.

I love Valentine's. My Dad is not very expressive but always sent my sister and I a card. This means a lot to me, especially now. I have carried on the tradition with my children. Each to their own....

How can it be ridiculous? It's only a card. DC spent the day at nursery making one for us, how is that ridiculous?

I did get a necklace one year from my parents. Brothers got one too. I thought it was weird.

Someone with a not-yet-1yr old posted photos on Facebook of her daughter with 4 cards and several presents around her

That irrationally pissed me off, how pointless!

Trainspotting, the festival itself is a ridiculous excuse to sell cards, children celebrating what was essentially a festival about fertility and sex is more ridiculous.

It started out as Lupercalia, where goats were sacrificed and women slapped with strips of blood soaked goat hide to increase their fertility, and dog hide to make them pure, by drunk naked men, then the really lucky girls won a lottery where they were coupled with some bachelor for a few days of sex. It was then renamed after martyr who may or may not have in fact been two entirely separate people and who no one really knows why is a saint, and who in fact isn't even on the General Roman Calendar because there wasn't enough solid information about him to satisfy the church.

We gave DD who is 6 a card but not a mushy/grown up one and signed it from us, we exchanged husband/wife cards - and then we all went out for a meal.
My mum used to give me and my sister valentine's cards when we were little, and I'm happy to do the same with my daughter xx

yep! Yet another consumer tradition being wheeled in for the card makers - plastic flowers chocs and plastic wrapping - all heading for land fill -

Oh I'm glad it's not just me. I find the whole thing weird.

Over the years I've had a few parents bringing in cards for the whole class so I can hand them out. I always just sort of make a "really?!" face.