Parent Points: St. Valentine’s Family Party

It’s a full week and you haven’t made any reservations for dinner. Finding a babysitter is impossible at the last minute. And, frankly, creating a romantic setting to celebrate your love is just too much trouble when you’re already so tired and busy. Finding a time for a date might just not happen this year for Valentine’s. Why not switch it up and make it a family celebration instead? It can still be about the two of you. The kids can be the ones in charge of the festivities. Let them give you a night off to enjoy each other’s company. They will think it’s really fun! Here’s how you do it:

1. Give them some ideas and inspirations, but don’t tell them every little thing they need to do. They need to have the space to be creative, otherwise it might feel more like a chore rather than a fun activity.
2. Give suggestions for dinner but be realistic. It might be ham and cheese sandwiches instead of lobster tail this year. But it will be special, nonetheless. Or you can create something easy ahead of time and have the kids serve it.
3. If you want strawberries and sparkling wine, make sure you purchase those things ahead of time. If you really want certain things, make sure they’re available.
4. Activities may include games and movies. There are plenty of downloadable printouts available online to test how well you know each other. They’re meant to be funny. You can print a few of those out for the kids to use. They may want to create their own questions to customize the experience.
5. If you can get away with watching the movie you two will enjoy – good for you! But it might be a family viewing of something that doesn’t have a romantic vibe – be open-minded! It’s only a short phase when the kids are so little. 15 years from now you will treasure the memories you made celebrating Valentine’s day as a family.
6. On your list for the kids make sure to include clean-up. Preparing for a party is the exciting part, but cleanup gets forgotten. Don’t do that to yourself.

It’s pretty nice to have a night off to enjoy your spouse’s companionship and offer each other undivided attention. But having your kids celebrate their parents’ love and making a big deal of it (because it IS a big deal) will benefit your children for the rest of their lives. They will see how precious the gift of marriage is – something to cherish and celebrate. Happy Valentine’s Day! May it be your most memorable one yet.