Valentine’s Day has become a day to celebrate with the person you
love, traditionally giving them flowers and chocolates, followed by
dinner and a movie. But, as you know, after you have kids, you form a
whole new love, a love that is like no other, a love that withstands all
elements, even separation and divorce.
With this love, it brings a
whole new meaning and opportunity to Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day
can be a great way to begin teaching your children about love and
healthy relationships! Whether you are teaching them the different types
of love, the acts of selflessness for those you love, or preparing them
for the dating world, Valentine’s Day can be a great opportunity to
teach your children about the importance of love, life, and
relationships.
Why is this so important?
The
divorce rate has reached 50% while the rate of children born out of
wedlock has passed 40% of all children. The importance of relationships,
marriage, and family has rapidly crumbled within our society. Children
who come from separated and divorced families are at a higher risk
themselves of going through separation and divorce. It is our role as a
parent to help guide our children and prepare them for life. What could
be more important than helping prepare them to have healthy
relationships with friends, family, and a future partner?
How is Valentine’s Day for kids?
Children already see the hearts, candy, teddy bears, and cards at the
stores and most likely participate in Valentine’s Day giving at school,
but, what are they really learning from this sugarcoated celebration?
What if we told you that there are some great teaching opportunities you
can provide your children through Valentine’s Day?
You can use
Valentine’s Day as a tool to help teach your children about love and
relationships, you can help promote the importance of love, compassion,
healthy relationships, and so much more! For young children, you can
begin teaching them about what love is, the different types of love
(such as parents, children, husband and wife), and how you may treat
those you love different than other people in your life. For older
children, teachings could include healthy behaviors and boundaries,
healthy relationships, and the importance of marriage and family.
We’re
sure you can think of age-appropriate ways to teach your children these
important values of selflessness, love, compassion, healthy
relationships, and the importance of family, but let’s hear what some of
your peers plan to do with their children this Valentine’s Day!
Mark – “Make a scrap book of their favorite pictures with their parents.”
Mark
is going to be creating a scrapbook with his son this Valentine’s Day.
What a beautiful project that truly lasts a lifetime! As part of this
project, Mark will be promoting his child’s relationship with their
mother. They will be making a scrapbook that includes both of his
parents. This in-itself is a great learning opportunity. It shows
respect and a healthy relationships between the child’s parents, allows
the child to openly express love for both sides of the family, and not
only allows, but encourages, the relationship with both parents.
Sue
– “We always do Valentine’s Day projects and create art work, I always
encourage my children to create artwork for their father!”
Creating
artwork is great for children, it sparks their imagination! Further,
creating hand crafted artwork for their parent, while they are with you,
is a great way to encourage the relationship with their other parent.
It also serves as such a great way for children just beginning to
express their emotions. Art is a great way for children to begin showing
those they love, how they feel to help them gain deeper insight to
their emotions and love itself.
Linda – “I’m going to bake
with my daughter. We love baking, and we’re going to make Valentine’s
Day cookies, if she wants to decorate some for her dad then that’s
great.”
Shared interests with your children offers a
great way to strengthen bonds! This is another way for a child to
express their love for their parents. By creating artwork and making
specially decorated baked goods teaches children to express their
individual, separate, and unique love for those special people in their
lives. This may include special events or things they particularly love
about their parents or family members and helps children grasp the
knowledge and understanding of the different types of love.
We
want to thank everyone who participated in the Valentine’s Day Contest
and for all of the wonderful entries we received expressing how you will
show and teach love to your children this Valentine’s Day!
Be sure to participate in our next contest for a chance to win shirts, magnets, bumper stickers, and more!
We hope you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
Sincerely,
Time to Put Kids First
