by Lori Lite
When my husband and I were dating, we were both pre-wired to believe that Valentine’s Day Activities meant flowers, chocolates, a reservation at a fancy restaurant with a pricey bottle of wine, and a romantic evening of loving stares and passionate embraces.
Many years of marriage and a few kids later, we recognized that trying to fit the mold of the ideal Valentine’s Day was stressing us out. Our picture perfect, pre-children Valentine’s Day became a vague memory. Our Valentine’s Day activities had evolved into a celebration of family. Our romantic dinner morphed into a candlelight breakfast with the kids. Now we emphasize family love and self-love, rather than the importance of having a boyfriend or girlfriend. We threw the cookie-cutter standards out and we enjoy our own style of celebrating LOVE. There is much less stress now that we took away the pressure of creating an idealistic Hollywood movie style Valentine’s Day.
Breakfast by candlelight is quite the treat for kids. You will find that they are likely to be more interested in sitting in one place and eating than usual. A nice surprise of heart shaped pancakes and a loving note under their plate and voila, a family celebration of Valentine’s Day.
Family Valentine’s Day activities:
- Do what you love with those you love. Valentine’s Day doesn’t need to be limited to you and your partner. Share the day with your children! Do what makes you happiest together.
- Don’t set unrealistic expectations or stress yourself with too many plans. Spend Valentine’s Day with the ones you love. Your children won’t care how it all plays out, as long as you are together.
- Don’t feel pressured by the media, conventional practices, or anyone’s opinions. Don’t allow anybody outside your circle define what romance and love mean for you. Take what you love about a traditional Valentine’s Day and make it your own.
- Have the kids express what they love most about their loved ones. Just as we take turns sharing what we are most thankful for on Thanksgiving, we express our love verbally to each other on Valentine’s Day.[Tweet “Tips to make Valentine’s Day a family day”]
- Relax and play your favorite love songs. Laugh, sing and get sappy with your family. Dance your heart out.
- Do a relaxation breathing exercise. Breathe in red air and out red air. Breathe in pink air and out pink air. Discuss which color your children like to focus on.
- De-stress by sharing a visualization with your family. Visualize your heart laughing, dancing, or healing.
- Blow bubbles. Crayola makes outdoor Fuchsia bubbles. Put a loving thought into the bubble and watch it float away.
So go ahead and stress less to create your own LOVE story this Valentine’s Day with the ones who are nearest and dearest to you. Happy Valentine’s Day from Stress Free Kids!
Lori Lite is a content focused blogger, mom, author, parenting expert, Twitter marketer, and founder of Stress Free Kids. She is passionate about helping like-hearted entrepreneurs bring their message, product, event, or travel destination to parents. Lori’s award-winning books received national attention on Shark Tank and her sort after accessible tips have been featured in hundreds of publications to include: CNN Living, Real Simple Magazine, USA Today, Family Circle, Working Mother Magazine, and Web MD. Lori’s constant upbeat presence on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, and YouTube make her a real-time resource for anyone seeking practical advice for stress free living.