Valentines

Original Title: Why My Daughter Has the Ugliest Valentines in Her Class

Better Title: Why I Am Proud of My Daughter's Valentines Cards

The story of the Valentines:

My 3 year old daughter saw these cards at the dollar store. They had butterflies on them. She asked me if she could buy them for her friends. She got a second package to buy for her 2 year old sister. I handed over my credit card and she got in the checkout line and purchased her valentine cards.
At home, she told me she wanted to work on her cards . . . constantly. Over a 3 day period she wrote her (7 letter) name on all 27 cards and put stickers on them. She proudly showed me each letter as she wrote it, on every card. She made special ones for her teachers. She told me she wanted to take them to school for her friends. She helped me put them in an envelope and excitedly carried them to school.

The Valentine Bag:

After the party at school she brought home a bag of valentines. While she was not around, I looked through the bag. It was full of really cute ideas (Cereal-ously, will you be my valentine?), attached to toys, candy, pencils and other treats. Some of them had the wrong kids' name on them. All but about 3 were in parent's handwriting. Most were really neat and fun and included bows, stickers, and catchy slogans.

Mom Reaction:

I started to feel bad because I had gone the ultra cheap, simple route. I did not use Pintrest or any other website to come up with an adorable idea. In fact, I didn't even help with the silly things! But then it hit me . . . I didn't do them - my daughter did. It's her Valentines, for her friends, in her class, at her school. She came up with the idea and executed it on her own. While it may not look as good as the ones done by her friends' parents, I'm proud of her for being the hardworking, creative, giving person that she is.

Originally published on Facebook on February 15, 2015.