photo credit: riptheskull
1. Make Valentine’s Day a Family Affair: Use the Valentine’s Day holiday to discuss with your kids the nature of romantic love, and your feelings for their mother. Open up to them, and share your feelings deeply, so they can see you as a complete person, not just a dad. This may seem sappy, but your relationship with your wife is the most important role model for romantic love and partnership for them as they grow up.
2. Planning a Valentine’s Day Gift for Mom Can Be Educational: Engage the kids in brainstorming a long list of gifts you might buy or create for mom NOT as a mother, but as a gorgeous woman who loves romance. Estimate the prices and/or the time it will take to make the items. Model the skills of brainstorming, planning, deliberating, sticking to a budget, being creative, and analyzing the impact of a gift. (Suggested by Susan Singh, St. Paul Minnesota).
3. Use Valentine Gifts as a Way to Find Out About Your Kid’s Life in School: If the kids are old enough discuss with them what they are thinking about doing for Valentine’s Day, if anything, for their friends/sweethearts at school. This will be a good opportunity to get them to open up about issues or problems they might have (“a teachable moment”).
4. Once Upon a Time in a Magical Place Called “Before Kids”: Bring out photos of the old days when you were dating your wife, and share with the kids stories of how you were as a young boy and man. This kind of sharing will help them open up and learn lessons about love indirectly through modeling.
5. Valentine’s Gifts for Important People around You Teaches Graciousness: Invite your children to nominate some other men or women in their lives (cousins, uncles, neighbors, and friends) who they admire and love, and prepare homemade Valentine’s Day gifts or cards for them, flattering their looks and gracious manner.
6. A Romantic Song Can Be the Best Valentine’s Day Gift for Him or Her: Choose some favorite romantic songs and ask the kids to learn the lyrics and melody so you can all sing it for mom at a special moment.
7. Be Your Own Shakespeare or Jerry Seinfeld on Valentine’s Day: Make up a play or skit where the kids play you and your wife when you first met, and when you became engaged. Have your children playact the roles, and improvise new lines, as needed.
Paul Banas is a founder of GreatDad.com. As a dad, you want to make sure you do everything to make Valentines Day a memorable day to your kids and family.
