I don’t know who needs to hear this, but Valentine’s Day is less than a week away. I know, I know, it seems so unfair that the Valentine’s Day Parent Trap is right around the corner.
What is the Valentine’s Day Parent Trap? It is that crazy warp zone where on December 26th all the stores pull out all the Valentine’s Day decorations, candy and cardboard school Valentine’s and you think, “Oh my Gosh, Christmas was literally yesterday and they are already shoveling their commercialism down our throats.”
Then you quickly put February out of your mind. If you are like me, that means you probably don’t think about it again until February 13th, when your kid reminds you they need 16 personalized Valentine’s Day gifts, one for each classmate, and a handmade, super-special Valentine’s Day box to collect theirs all before tomorrow.
Or maybe your kids are too little to warn you, albeit late, and you show up to daycare to drop off and see that all the other friends’ moms remembered to bring a treat for your kid, but you are running late for a meeting (not speaking from experience here, asking for a friend).
Don’t fall into the Valentine’s Day Parent Trap. You still have time. Do yourself a favor and spend a little time today thinking about February 14th.
Here are some tips to get you through and even make Valentine’s Day extra fun for your kids:
- Hit that Amazon shopping list now. Chances are that by now Walmart is going to be totally picked over for those cute, little punny cards. Don’t even bother. If you didn’t pick them up in December, just order them on Prime.
- Set a recurring calendar reminder for next year for the last week of January to order those for your kids next year.
- Make a super simple “Valentine’s Day Box.” Our house is usually running out of tissue right about now, so I just grab a tissue box or baby wipe carton and some red tissue paper and tape and wrap it up, presto-chango, Valentine’s Box.
- Make a healthy breakfast egg sandwich.
- Or a super simple cute “lovely” snack like heart fruit kabobs.
- Grab a heart-shaped metal cookie cutter and go to town on heart-shaped dinner ideas from pepperoni pizza to pancakes.
- Add a package of heart-shaped paper plates and pink napkins and you’ll be ready for a party.
- Check your local restaurants for easy dinner date ideas. Our Chick Fil A’s, for example, do a themed “Valentine’s Day Date Night” with tableside service, flowers, tablecloths and other special touches.
- Finally, if you want to go over the top, you can grab a few sheets of pink construction paper and some scissors and leave a little trail of hearts from their rooms to a little Valentine from you.
- No matter what level of preparation you take this year to avoid the Valentine’s Day Parent Trap from over the top to extra hugs, your kids will know you’re thinking about them and that they really are their Number 1 Valentine.
Good luck, parents. You’ve got this!
