What they forget between third grade and age 45...

My daughter's Valentine's Days have been ruined forever.

They've been ruined since the third grade. It was a boy's fault, of course. We'll call him Dan.

Dan had been sweet on my dear daughter since kindergarten. I thought it was cute. Then came third grade.

Valentine's Day that year came in the midst of a snow storm. School was cancelled. No one was going out. Evening came along and we heard a large truck pull up out front. A snow-covered youngun' stood on our stoop absolutely laden with gifts to delight his beloved. It was ADORABLE. He had a large card (2 feet tall, at least, that he made himself), a huge stuffed bear, and FLOWERS.

HOLY COW!

How can any guy she dates ever compete with that? You should have seen my own husband's face fall! HA! Oh, I soooo enjoyed the entire thing. Rob considers Valentine's Day to be a Hallmark holiday and therefore to be ignored (lest you become a sheep, forced to follow the flock of Valentine's Day followers over a cliff of chocolate despair).

For the record, to me, Valentine's Day should really be about thoughtfulness and reminding the ones you love that you care deeply about them. So, it's not really about flowers, or chocolates, or cards, but about showing you care. Sorry, Hallmark, but we don't really need to buy stuff to show that. What we really need is a sweet third grader reminding us that sometimes you just need to make an effort, trudge through a bit of snow, make sure your sweetie feels loved. :)