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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask your thoughts on valentine's Day cards for kids?

61 replies

Mamalexi343 · 30/01/2020 14:20

Theres a story going around about a woman who wants valentine's Day cards for children to be removed from stores and banned.

She feels it's disgusting for parents to give their children a card saying they love them and that the holiday is for couples and romance only, apparently all her friends and family agree and she would and I quote 'punch anyone in the face of they gave my son a card' Hmm

What do you think?

OP posts:
IToldYouIWasFreaky · 30/01/2020 15:31

As a single woman you should accept that this day isn’t for you to celebrate until you have a romantic interest. And that’s okay, not every day is for everyone.

Harsh, much!? Hmm

I understand the reservations people have about involving kids in Valentine's Day but honestly, what's the harm in celebrating the people you love in your life, just because it's not romantic love?

Waxonwaxoff0 · 30/01/2020 15:31

Oh and I never said it doesn't celebrate romantic love, I just choose to celebrate it in a different way, just like everyone celebrates easter or Christmas in their own way.

Original poster
Mamalexi343 · 30/01/2020 15:35

Thanks for your responses I was curious to see what you guys would say as there seems to be an equal divide over whether it's right or not.

One of the cards in question that she was disgusted with was daddy loves you lots like jelly tots. (My phone just autocorrected to tits Blush that would have caused a stir lol)

I personally see it as a day to celebrate love but then again I'm not really into valentine's Day, although part of me always hopes for a bunch of flowers from DH lol so I don't overly see anything wrong with giving your child a card that simply says you love them, not an over the top declaration of the truest love, leave that to the teenagers who will 'be in love forever and nothing will break them apart'.

OP posts:
eddiemairswife · 30/01/2020 15:35

A bit tacky.

SueEllenMishke · 30/01/2020 15:35

Me and DH buy each other cards and a small gift but we go out for a meal as a family. That's our tradition..it started because we couldn't get a babysitter but now it's our family valentines meal. We don't buy DS a card but he knows we're out for valentines day.

ILearnedItFromABook · 30/01/2020 15:36

Where I live, it's for all kinds of love. If the card is clearly about friendship/platonic love, it's completely harmless, and it's a massive overreaction to immediately assume it's "perverted" in some way to give a child a card on Valentine's Day. Hmm

I personally don't care for Valentine's Day, though, and I think it causes much more trouble than it's worth. (Some) people get offended if you don't do enough, others think someone's gone overboard and worry that they didn't spend enough on their own gift, then there are all the people who end up feeling completely left out... Meh. Of course, I also think cut flowers are usually a huge waste of money (exceptions made for weddings, funerals, and the ill), so maybe I'm just not the right personality type for Valentine's Day.

JacquesHammer · 30/01/2020 15:36

Whether you like it or not, and whether you acknowledge it or not, Valentine’s Day celebrates romantic love

In parts of the country traditionally a character visits houses leaving presents for children on Valentine's Day.

You can’t just decide Christmas is, say, the Easter Bunny’s birthday just because you want it to be

The way holidays evolve is evidenced in your post though.

I cannot imagine getting so worked up about how other people choose to spend a single day of the year Grin

LettertoHermoine · 30/01/2020 15:39

I have never seen a card that says...Happy Valentines Day Dear Daughter or Sending you love this Valentines Day Dear Son.

Now I could be wrong and there is some gobshite, somewhere making these and some other gobshite buying them and giving them to their kids on a day that traditionally celebrates lovers.

Takes all sorts....

DappledThings · 30/01/2020 15:45

I think it's weird.

Not something to get worked up about, but definitely weird!

abstractprojection · 30/01/2020 15:45

I use to make and give my parents cards for valentines day as a kid, but they didn't give me ones (I didn't expect them).

Not sure why it was this way round but seemed normal at the time. I think maybe our school encouraged us to make them for our mums maybe because many were single parents, and I wanted to do one for my Dad as well (they were separated but co-parented).

74NewStreet · 30/01/2020 15:49

It’s extremely odd to send your kids a Valentine card, but it’s not compulsory either. Shops sell all sorts of shit I wouldn’t buy in a fit, but I don’t have to.
That woman should put her time and energy into something that actually matters.

Gingerkittykat · 30/01/2020 15:52

I know in the USA it is common for all the kids in a class to send cards to all of the other kids with cute messages.

That's America, in the UK it is about romantic love and I think sending cards to kids is really creepy.

Mlou32 · 30/01/2020 15:56

I don't think it's weird, I think flagging it as weird is weird! I wouldn't buy V Day cards and presents for my kids (if I had them) but I wouldn't get overly bothered at others doing it.

PanicAndRun · 30/01/2020 15:58

One year OH got me,DD and my mum(who was visiting and staying over) a little something for Valentines day.

The absolute perverted bastard!Hmm

AryaStarkWolf · 30/01/2020 16:00

One of the cards in question that she was disgusted with was daddy loves you lots like jelly tots. (My phone just autocorrected to tits blush that would have caused a stir lol)

love you lots like jelly tits bahahahaha

YasssKween · 30/01/2020 17:11

I also find it weird when people call their kids sexy too

Oh my god is this a thing?! Shudder. That's so odd.

TheMemoryLingers · 30/01/2020 17:18

I'd say, who on earth does she think she is to set rules for who you can or can't give a Valentine card to?

I'm not a huge fan of Valentine's Day myself because, like so many other things, it's become a way for retailers to try to guilt-trip people into spending money, but if people want to send cards to those they love in a non-romantic way, why shouldn't they?

If I knew this woman, I'd think I'd purposely make a huge thing of buying Valentine cards for my cats, and showing them to her Wink.

Urkiddingright · 30/01/2020 17:26

My Dad used to send me a card in the post every year and I loved it! I had no idea it was from him at all, I just thought it was a cute card. It’s not really that weird, Valentine’s Day is shit anyway.

Purpleartichoke · 30/01/2020 17:29

Where I live, valentines is as much a child holiday as a romance holiday. Kids exchange cards at school with all their classmates. They each decorate a mailbox and then everyone puts a card in everyone’s mailbox. Then there is a school party.

HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime · 30/01/2020 17:34

We live in Norfolk, here 'Jack valentine' visits, knocking on the door and leaving valentines gifts for children on the doorstep.

My parents moved here when I was a teen so it's not something we ever did but apparently it's a very long standing tradition.

I make Dd some chocolate playdoh and some red playdoh, put some red sweets and heart shaped chocolates in etc and maybe a few crafts to do as it's normally halfterm so having things to do is handy.

IceCreamFace · 30/01/2020 17:36

Well it's clearly a way of getting parents to part with more money but I couldn't actually get angry about it.

DoTheNextRightThing · 30/01/2020 17:39

My parents gave me valentine's cards. I didn’t grow up weird. Well mostly... Grin

It's a silly holiday regardless, but I suppose people just don't want their kids to be left out of a well publicised event.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe · 30/01/2020 17:40

It doesn't warrant banning but it's daft. Valentine is romantic love, not love for children or pets or pot plants. We tell our children we love them all the time, they don't need a card commandeered from a Hallmark event to tell them so.

MotherofDinosaurs · 30/01/2020 17:41

My kid made me a valentine card at school last year. He calls it Love Day. I think it's nice to celebrate all kinds of love. I also think anyone who has a problem with anyone else choosing to celebrate any kind of love is a MASSIVE wanker.

TheMemoryLingers · 30/01/2020 17:43

We tell our children we love them all the time, they don't need a card commandeered from a Hallmark event to tell them so.

But, by the same token, don't we tell our romantic partners we love them all the time? If cards are only to go to those people we never express love to, then really you're saying they're only suitable for 'secret admirers'.