February 14, 2002

  • I remember being in 4th grade, and the teacher made each student bring in a package of valentines greetings for valentine’s day. The package of 30.

    We spent a full quarter of valentine’s day making a valentine for every other student in the class, checking off the names from a list we were given. Then, towards the end of the day, we all had to give the valentine greetings to each other personally, while eating cake and drinking punch.

    And I totally did not understand. What was the meaning of this social ritual? Was I supposed to be in love with all the kids in this class? Even the boys? If I didn’t mean what the valentines said, why should I have to give them? All sincerity was pushed aside. I remember getting a specially-made valentine from one girl, and it had those little candy hearts inside, and she had gone to lengths to make it just right. In retrospect it was all very meaningful to her. But at the time, how could I take it seriously? We’re talking 4th grade here.

Comments (6)

  • remember taping those candy hearts onto the valentine’s?

    happy v-day darlin…

  • feels good in here.  can i hang out for awhile?  got shoulder i can cry on?

    thanks…

    and just so you know, Kidlet came home with a pocket full, after having made all his by himself..hearts cut out of white paper, with the names of his friends on them…

    and he got one…”Our friendship is no mystery” it said…from his friend Chris, who is moving away soon.

    Kidlet was really moved…he said…”That’s so sweet”  and he put it in his pocket.

    I have no idea why I’m telling you this except…I didn’t get any Valentine’s at all this year, and I tried, you know…to send one, but it just didn’t work out…

    and just so you know…all that sentiment, well…sometimes it really matters a lot.  maybe not in grade four….but later…it matters.

    a whole damn fuqing lot.

    who, me?  bitter?  nah.

    V~

  • Brings back horrible memories of not getting a single valentine. Maybe that’s why I am so bitter.

  • hey hope you diodn’t break that poor girl’s heart …. valentine has only recently (humhum recently is like when i was 16 or so aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah tht’s 14 years ago) become popular in europe…

  • Hey!  That was ME!

  • I was just sitting with my kids Tuesday night, filling out the class valentines, and Ben (age 5) who has only started writing anythign this year, was so funny, seeing which kids he wanted to write extra little notes to, and which ones he only signed his name, and my daughter, trying very hard to match the canned sentiments with the recipients.

    They were both very happy to come home with bags filed with cards on Valentine’s Day. It didn’t matter to them whether the kids who sent them really liked them all that much, it was still an esteem-building exercise.

Comments are closed.

Post a Comment