We all know that Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about showing love to the important people in our life. Walk into almost any store after Christmas is over and get accosted with a ton of red hearts and a cupid reminding us that Valentine’s Day is coming soon. While Valentine’s Day gets a lot of flak for being over-commercialized, there is something to be said about stopping for a minute to say, “I love you” to those that we love, even just for one day. The day also offers an opportunity to include in a little education about that big ol’ muscle, the heart.
Valentine’s Day
There are a few different legends that may point to the origin of the Valentine’s Day as we know it. Apparently, Valentine’s Day started as the Roman festival of Lupercalia, which was a celebration of fertility. Later around 496 AD, Pope Gelasius renamed the feast of Lupercalia in honor of Saint Valentine, a Roman bishop who secretly married young soldiers in opposition to Emperor Claudius II. Claudius apparently felt that married men grew too attached to their wives and children, making them less dedicated to their duties as soldiers.
Valentine’s Day and Kids
Although celebrating the acts of a Roman bishop from centuries ago seems a little farfetched, focusing on love for a day is not such a bad thing, especially when you have young children in your life. In addition, while Valentine’s Day might seem like a grown-up holiday with roses and romantic dinners, the little ones deserve a little recognition as well. Why not pack a special Valentine in your child’s lunch that day, give them a special stuffed animal to cuddle, or take them out for an early dinner at their favorite restaurant? Kids will remember the act long after Valentine’s Day is over and will know how much they are loved. Older kids who are starting to struggle with dating and all those crazy emotions that love can bring will appreciate the reminder that your love is permanent, no matter what other loves may come or go.
The Heart
Something else to consider when talking about affairs of the heart with your children is what the heart actually does. Yes, we talk about the heart as an emotional object but the truth is that the heart is our body’s largest muscle and few of us – especially kids – know how it works. Why not take a few minutes to explain that the heart is like a big pump that moves blood throughout the body and has four different chambers where the blood pumps in and out. That’s an oversimplified explanation but once you talk about how the heart works physically, transitioning into how the heart works emotionally can be a little easier, especially if your kids are a little older and are starting think a little more about love and how the whole thing operates.
Whether or not you go into a description of how the heart works or how it feels, please do not forget to tell your kids that you love them on Valentine’s Day. And every day, for that matter. We all need to know that we are loved, endlessly and unconditionally. After all, it’s good for the heart.