Not feeling the love

I spent last night frantically assembling a slew of valentines for my daughter to bring to her class party today. My daughter cannot write her name yet, so I had to sign each one, insert the little tattoo into the ridiculously small slots on each card, and then seal them with the heart stickers provided.

And the whole time I was doing this, I wondered: when did Valentine’s Day become such a big deal for the four and under crowd?

* Here’s where I need to interject before continuing on with this post. I am participating in the “Thanks, Not Cranks” challenge (which you can read about on Another Suburban Mom’s blog). I’ve done fairly well, but will blow all progress with the rest of this post. You’ve been warned. Major crank fest will now continue…

In no particular order, here are my other beefs:

• While perusing the myriad of valentine card choices at Target, I noticed that they come in boxes of 16 or 32. I needed 20. And of course, my daughter chose a pattern that only came in a box of 16, which meant I had to buy two boxes. What a racket, Disney!

• My daughter was so excited with her “Wizards of Waverly Place” valentines, believing they were all for her. So trying to explain to her that “no, these are for your kids at school” just about sent her over the edge. Note to self: work on concepts of sharing, giving, etc.

• Walking into school today, her eyes grew huge, while my heart sank. What kid wouldn’t be excited to see a spread of cupcakes, cookies, candy and fruit punch? And what mom isn’t thinking about the price that will be paid for such an incredible sugar high? Can I pick her up after she’s crashed?

I’m sure she’ll have a blast at the party this afternoon. And I’m sure for the teachers, having a Valentine’s Day party helps break up the monotony of a regular school day. But other than all the sweets, my daughter could care less about the valentine cards, didn’t quite understand the concept of why we were doing this, and doesn’t want to give away “her” cards.

Perhaps age four is a little too young to introduce all the nuances of Valentine’s Day?

My last gripe and then I’m done, I promise.

I remember being in grade school and handing out valentines. Back in those days, we didn’t just sign our name on the “from” line and give one to every person in the class. Oh no. We gave valentines to the kids we wanted to give valentines to. So there was always that slight feeling of anticipation mixed with dread to see how many cards would end up in your box. With that aspect eliminated by giving one to everybody in the class, what is the point of handing the cards out in the first place?

So there are my cranks for the day. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for a holiday celebrating romance, and I plan to do it up right with Clean Fresh Hubby. Because I love him. And isn’t that the whole point behind this holiday?

I will now switch my “Cranks, Not Thanks” bracelet to the other wrist and begin again.