Valentines and Other Holidays (by Kim Simmons ~ Grace's mother)

Jeanne encouraged me to post here -- I love the idea of creating a community space for us to share our ideas and have conversations that might be hard to complete during the morning drop-off. We also both understand the limits of this kind of venue and are very interested in other ways of communicating - study circles, regular parent meetings, pizza nights, etc. Still, we hope others will give this a try since we are so curious about what others are thinking. Valentine's Day feels like a tricky holiday. On the one hand, I love my family and want to share that sentiment. I really want Grace and Kate to learn how to express their feelings and to take the time to intentionally appreciate their friends. On the other hand, it is hard not to feel like Valentine's Day is yet another opportunity for commercial culture to create a set of unreasonable expectations -- candy, presents, special dinners, flowers, cards -- that breed disappointment, over spending, and inauthentic expressions of sentiment. I cannot begin to express my gratitude that the Friends School did not spill over with Power Ranger Valentines and obligatory candy exchanges. Maybe next year we could use the holiday as a springboard for a discussion about injustice or service (http://www.responsiveclassroom.org/newsletter/14_1NL_2.asp) but the tension between participating in and resisting popular culture will remain. I would love to learn more about other families’ traditions as well as great ways that other schools have responded to these holiday dilemmas.