Valentine's Day Origins: From Cupid to Chaucer
Valentine's Day Origins: Fox News spoke to expert Nikki Lewis who deals with love year-round to learn more about the heart-filled holiday.
On Valentine's Day this year, here's an idea from one mother to other parents.
Why not write your own parents a grown-up Valentine's Day message — and model for your own children the love between generations?
Sometimes kids forget to express their affection to the very people who love them, precisely because they know they don’t need to earn their parents’ love.
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Parents are there for them all the time, no matter what they do (or don’t do).
And being able to forget to thank parents for their love is actually a luxury.
Sometimes kids forget to express their affection to the very people who love them so much. One mom suggests: Why not start a new tradition this year? (iStock)
That’s why true gratitude is an intentional commitment that takes practice, one that we have to teach and model to our kids.
The reality is, most kids won’t be sending their parents Valentine's Day cards or gifts this year because it won’t occur to them. Might this be the case for ourselves and our own parents?
Valentine's Day provides the opportunity to model for our kids exactly what we hope they do for us someday.
That mirror can be a tough one to hold up, especially as life circumstances can make relationships even more complicated over the years, providing opportunities for misunderstandings and hurts to creep in, on both sides.
It can be hard to find the right moment to (re)build a broken bridge or express forgiveness.
We make these important caveats because parents — and their (grown) kids — at times let each other down. They are human, and so are we.
With Valentine’s Day coming up quickly as a national day of expressing love, there's a perfect excuse to be a bit more vulnerable, suggests one mom. (iStock)
The hard truth is, try as we may to be the perfect parent, we know that person doesn't exist.
We will let our kids down someday, too (and likely have already).
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When we do, let’s hope they choose to still love us anyway.
When you mail a Valentine's Day letter to Grandma and Grandpa from the kids, you might consider sliding one in from you, too.
With Valentine’s Day coming up quickly as a national day of expressing love, there is the perfect excuse to be a bit more vulnerable, even if awkward.
It also provides the opportunity to model for our kids exactly what we hope they do for us someday.
So when you mail a Valentine's Day letter to Grandma and Grandpa from the kids, you might consider sliding one in from you, too.
This year, find another way to express "I love you" or "I forgive you" to your own parents if those words are a little hard to roll off the tongue, one mom offers. (iStock)
If you’re inspired to do this, but not sure how to begin, below are some prompts that might help you get started — and even find another way of expressing "I love you" or "I forgive you" if those words still are a little hard to roll off the tongue.
Remember, you don’t care if the card your kids give you is objectively pretty or perfectly worded because all you care about is that it comes from them.
"Mom/Dad, now that I’m a parent, I know more than ever how hard it is …"
Chances are your mom and dad feel the same way about cards from their (grown-up) baby.
A few helpful prompts for parents
"Mom/Dad, the words I remember you saying most when I was a kid are ______. Thanks for saying them. I’m so glad you did. Because you said them, I ______."
"Mom/Dad, if I could only use three words to describe you, I’d say you are ______." (For each word, you might consider sharing a quick story explaining why.)
"Try as we may to be the perfect parent, we know that person doesn't exist. We will let our kids down someday, too (and likely have already). When we do — let's hope they still choose to love us." (iStock)
"Mom/Dad, my favorite memory of us is when ______."
"Mom/Dad, I remember I was going through a really hard time when ______. Thanks for loving me through that period of my life. Because you did, I ______."
"Mom/Dad, now that I’m a parent, I know more than ever how hard it is. A sacrifice I remember you making for me was when you ______. I may not have seen it or said something then, but I want to say something now: Thank you."
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"Mom/Dad, one of the ways I see your parenting coming out in my parenting is when I ______. When I do that/say that, I think of you and smile."
"Mom/Dad, you were a great parent because you always/never ______."
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"Mom/Dad, one of the ways I wish I could be more like you is ______."
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