Be MINE, MINE, MINE! Making Every Day Sweet for Your Family
(Long Island, N.Y.) Sure, everyone’ heard of Valentine’s Day. But since it’s so sweet, I’ve dedicated an entire week to celebrate the joy of loving and being loved. When you have kids, there’s no better holiday to express love. Christmas (unfortunately) is too busy, Thanksgiving gets too hectic, Halloween is just plain spooky, so without the fuss of big dinners, gifts, relatives, costumes and long car trips, Valentine’s Day is extra special. I always have the attitude: “Anything worth doing is worth overdoing”–so I’ve dedicated February 14-21 Valentine’s Week! But as a parent, I try to make every day of the year a golden opportunity to spread love.
When I was pregnant with my first child, I was at the grocery store checking out, when the man on line in front of me gave me a sweet smile. He asked if this was my first child, and when I told him yes, he began to pour out his heart. This stranger went on to tell me that I have no idea how deep my love for my new baby would be, and reflecting on his own love for his child, he began to sob.
He told me how the birth of his daughter was a miracle that changed his life, how big and deep his love grew—and within minutes I was sobbing too! We were two strangers with carts full of groceries, weeping as we emptied our carts. I was pregnant, and full of hormones, but I’m still not quite sure what his excuse was. Probably just a man– sure damn proud to be a father. (The teenage check-out girl must have thought we were both nuts!) But he was right. Every word he said about how deep and intense my love for my children would be, was so true.
Now, I tell my kids “I love you” over and over. Every day. Every night. In and out of the car, over the phone, during breakfast—whenever. Although Valentine’s Day is the official “LOVE” holiday, you can make sure your kids feel loved and cherished every day of the year.
In the spirit of Valentines Day, or should I say “Valentine’s Week”, I asked one mom how important it is for her to say to her children: “I love you”. Pam Sweeney of Wantagh tries not to miss a moment when it comes to saying those three little words.
“I tell my kids all the time I love them. When they go off to school, bedtime, or just cuddling watching TV. If we are out sometimes, I will point to my heart then point to them—their reaction is usually a big smile. Growing up we did not say it often enough, so I make sure history doesn’t repeat itself, and I realize with my own children just how important it is.”
Let February 14 mark a blizzard of love adoration for your family—for the week, the month, the entire year!
