valentines day

I love Valentines day. Yep, I am a sucker for all those feel good Hallmark movies and those 'happily ever after' movies that cause so many people to seek therapy.  (ohhh, that last sentence really really explains a lot, don't you think?)

 But what I have a hard time with is young love. No, I am not talking about the high school dating, holding hand, hoping for a kiss kind of love. 

 No, I am talking about the Junior high kind where these kids bring stuffed animals that seriously can sit in the desk by themselves.  So many flowers and balloons that the teacher might mistake themselves for being in the Wal-mart floral department instead of in their own classrooms. And how long will these 'loves' last?

 A week maybe two. Kind of a waste.

Questions I have:

 Where in the world do they get the money?

 Do they even know what love is?

As I am asking myself these questions, it dawns on me that the only one of my kids that does not have a valentine is Brittany. 

(funny too cuz she is my only junior high student!)

Cort has a date tonight with a friend.... I think it is a friend.... (she is such a wealth of information since she went away to college!)

Ashley has a boyfriend.  Yes, it is finally official! (It's about freakin time!)

Zach asked a girl in his class if she would be his valentine.

What exactly does that mean?  And should I be worried?

(She said yes. And yes, I should be worried)

Joey's secret girlfriend asked him to be her valentine and of course he said yes.( But I told him this was not the excuse he needed to hold her hand during recess. That boy!)

Mackenzie has a imaginary valentine who happen to show up around the same time Mackay came to get Ashley for their date on Friday night. 

Yes, valentines day is bitterssweet. It reminds me that my family is growing up and it is great excuse to spend exuberant amounts of money on chocolate and other materialist items in the name of love.

By the way, Happy Valentines day!