protesting in black

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Today I'm publishing a special guest post from a friend of mine, Katie Cordani. I met Katie about a year and a half ago through my local MOM'S Club and we've spent many mornings, afternoons, and evenings chatting it up over a variety of interesting topics. Katie is a mom to three, a sousaphone enthusiast, an aspiring writer, and an all around lovely lady. Just don't ask her to do anything on a Friday morning. That's when she meets up with her milkman. 

Confession time…I used to wear black on Valentine’s Day.  Yes, I did.  It was high school.  I was single.  I thought the tokens of affection, the one’s I wasn’t getting, were fake and pointless.  Maybe I was just a bitter, single female, longing for the love of a good guy.  Maybe it was just my rebellious streak…I know, sad, huh?

The thing is, I haven’t really outgrown it, maybe just softened a bit.  Granted, the tokens of affection I get from my husband aren’t pointless, and they do mean something, I just have a problem with the whole idea of dedicating a single day to love.  Love is something we should share, teach and show on a daily basis, and not with some stuffed, singing bear/dog/cow/whatever.   And as a stay at home mom, the practical side of me kicks in.  “Honey, we could have spent that money on diapers/food/etc.”

As with everything though, I do ignore that sentiment when it comes to getting the kids something.   I have to let my hubby buy them a gift because I know I’d go overboard.  It’s all just so cute!  I think it comes from the guilt I feel for having to yell and scream at them on a daily basis.  Maybe, if I get them this one stuffed, singing bear/dog/cow/whatever, they’ll know how much I love them and they’ll listen better.  Yeah, still waiting on that one.

My point is, take the time this month, whether it’s Valentine’s Day, or any other day, to show those around you how much you do love them.  It’s the least we can do for our husbands who support us, or our children who, in their own ways, show us daily how much we mean to them.  Without them, we wouldn’t be who we are.

(Me again...)
Personally, we ignore Sweetest Day (whenever that is...) and tend to do a little something around V-Day, but not a whole lot.  We don't get the kids anything.  We tell Alex that V-Day is mainly for grown-ups to exchange presents and show their affection.  He takes cards to school, and a treat, and that's about it.  Does that make me unsentimental?  I don't think so.  Does that make what the millions of other people do for their kids each year wrong?  Nope.  Just different. 

The wearing black thing though, that's weird.

What about you?  Do you and your honey do anything special on February 14th?  What about for your kids, aside from the school valentines?  Do you have special traditions or do you forge a new path each year?  Or, like Katie, do you ever protest in black?