Happy Valentine's Day, kind of.

[la_rainette]

Valentine's Day might be the one day in the year where I feel like flying back to France and going all French again.

Oh, we celebrate it too, and the shops are just as red-and-pink-with-big-hearts, only it's strictly "La fête des Amoureux", The Lovers' Day; it's a very private affair. So either you have a significant other, and you go out with him/her (romantic dinner is a must, and maybe a little present, but frankly, forget about the card unless you are too far away to spend the day with your loved one); or you don't, so you grumble in the shops and discreetly kick the Great Big Fluffy Hearts, and ignore the blasted thing altogether.

No-one expects you to make cards for all your friends/parents/siblings/aunts/cousins to the nth degree.

No teacher in his/her right mind will send you a list of all the kids in your child's class, as a kind request to please make a valentine for each and every child in the class, thank you very much. 26 kids? What do you mean, 26 kids? Do I have 26 cards to make? Ah, only 25, because Froglet is included. Oh, no, wait, her teacher! Can't forget her teacher! 26 cards it is.

26 cards it was.

I spent several hours sitting by Froglet, who insisted on making all her Valentines herself, and wrote on each single one Joyeuse St Valentin (and her name, and the recipient's name, and decorated with glitter glue and stickers) with painstaking concentration ("is that right? Do I start the next letter here?" "I don't know, sweetie, I can't see, your hair/hand is in the way"). Tadpole shrieked in frustration, as she had only 14 Valentines to make (!) and simply scribbled the first letter of her name on them, and added a little glitter glue, and thus was done in no time and thought it was MOST UNFAIR that her sister spent so much more time on her Valentines.

And I giggle to myself as I remember my American friend whose nanny abruptly resigned because she had gotten a valentine from her tiny charge (my friend's son, 3 and something), and was most shocked that the little tike was "in love with her". Heh. Talking about Culture Shock. :D

Ah Well. Happy Valentine's Day, dear friends. *HUGS*

ETA and then of course, today was the day Froglet chose to not like her dessert and throw it into her backpack, which she then proceeded to treat as usual (read: jump on it/fall on it/beat the wall with it).

Yogourt-covered valentines, anyone?

Ew.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_skye_/]

Gah! Yes! So! Many! Valentines!

Two rules for my budding artists, though:

1. I have taken to having my children decorate and sign their own names, but they many only make valentines with 20 minutes help from me. Not more. If it takes more, they have to think of another way, because I'm Done.

2. They will not personalize the cards, as this takes too long.


Clearly, the Spirit of the Holiday stops right about the time things get complicated for me personally.

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

:D Yes, but you have 4. I have only 2.

Also, Froglet can be unbelievably persistent when she chooses too (all the valentines were done in one sitting, and she insisted on going on til the very end). That side of her character I particularly cherish, since I think she can put it to good use in life, so I praised her persistence in-between yawns, while she glowed with well-earned pride...

[miscellanny.livejournal.com]

I miss you terribly.

Huge amounts of love, honey.

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

I miss you too, lovely Nny! *hugs tight*

[bookwench31.livejournal.com]

I discovered a new way for teachers to torment the parents about Valentine's day. A woman came into work last night and showed me the 26 little pictures that the teacher had sent home. Yes she had printed out the school photos of every child and wanted the "children" to paste the photos next to the names on each valentine. I'm not sure why. By now shouldn't the children know their own names by now? As if making the valentines weren't already time consuming.

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

OMG! *whacks teacher on head*
That is just too cruel.

[briar-cat.livejournal.com]

This was the final straw and now I must join your (and Tadpole and Froglet's) fanclub. If there isn't one already, then I'll start one.

May I please friend you? Surfed here from metaquotes a long time ago and...got hooked. The girls are too adorable for words.

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

Fanclub? *blushes* Aw, you're lovely! Thank you.

But of course, and I'll friend you back (people who think my girls are adorable are my friends).

[terrylj.livejournal.com]

I wish we did it that way here. It's hard enough for me to remember to buy Mr T a card. But the kids have to buy him a card too? And then they have to buy me one too? And my mom and grandmother send cards for the kids. Should the kids be sending Valentines to them?

And yes, leave us not forget the Valentine party at school, and the Valentine parties (one for each child) at daycare, and they have to bring personalized cards for each kid, and oh yeah, could you bring a bag of chips and some dip for this party, and some candy for that party, and a picture of the baby for a special Valentine's Day card that she'll be making for you (COVERED with gold glitter and glue, but I'll love it forever anyway!)

Let's all emigrate to France on 2/13 next year.

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's how I feel, too. Especially when it turns out someone who is NOT from her class has brought her a Valentine, and we have nothing for them (woops)

[terrylj.livejournal.com]

One Christmas per year is enough, thanks. Now we have to worry about reciprocal Vgifts? What's next, discussion of whether it's appropriate to re-gift a box of chocolate with coconut that you don't like?

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

:D I re-gift stuff I do not like. But I try to do it intelligently -- not like my mum who will re-gift stuff I have given her right in front of my very eyes, or even to me. *facepalms* Or maybe it is supposed to be a subtle message?