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| Shh shh shh shh shh |
We took advantage of the fact that we were all home and dressed in somewhat coordinating outfits to take a few family photos with the tripod!
Valentinstag doesn't seem to be as popular here as it is in the US. I asked my German friend how to say "Happy Valentine's Day"--is it "Ein gut Valentinstag?" She said people don't really wish each other a Happy Valentine's Day. It is just a day for husbands to maybe buy their wives flowers--and they don't even really like doing that!--ha! It's true: the only place I really saw Valentine's Day decorations were in the florist shops. Lidl did have a few Valentine bears for sale too that said "Ich liebe dich." Isn't that probably how it started in the US too? It has become so commercialized. I read an interesting article on Huffington Post that asked, "what exactly is the point of indoctrinating children into something that most adults wish wasn't a thing?" and "I don't see the need for toddlers and elementary school kids to participate in something that, at its purest, is about a kind of love they can't even understand and don't yet need to, and at its worst is about buying [stuff]." I thought this was interesting and good food for thought, but I also think it is a little extreme...in my opinion, it's more about celebrating friendship at the kids' level. My Kindergarten students used to love sharing their valentines on Valentine's Day. When I was a kid, we would take a vacation in mid-February and usually miss Valentine's Day at school. I, too, remember how excited I would be to receive my box of valentines from everyone in my class when I returned to school. It was a "feel good" day.
How interesting to see this difference between Germany and the US. While I saw my American Facebook friends' posts yesterday showing their kids making valentines and dressed in pink and red clothes--and Drew and I also made Valentine's Day treats at home together--there was no mention of celebrating Valentine's Day at Drew's German kindergarten. It was just a regular day. And that was fine with me. I still enjoyed the chance to dress up our kids and think about how much we love our little valentines, but I didn't miss all the hubbub of buying cards and making gifts, etc.
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| We made Rice Krispy hearts, dipped them in chocolate, and decorated with sprinkles. |
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| Our littlest valentine is starting to smile. Thanks for the shirt, Jill and Jeremy! |
Great pictures of all of you. We had our Valentines celebration yesterday (and 100 days on Wednesday). Kids were so excited! I agree with you about being a day about friendship. I think Ela will get excited about sharing with her friends in the future. It could be a materialistic day, as any other day, but it all depends on what we teach our kids is important. Your V day looked just perfect!
ReplyDeleteI really liked all the new photos! They are just great!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about all the Valentine's Day pressure. It is just wonderful to celebrate friendship.
Happy Valentine's Day to you all!
ReplyDeleteI know babies can't be bachelors, and we don't want him dating yet, but I couldn't resist when I saw this onesie at Target. Will sure does look cute! Love his little smile in the last one! And Drew is being such a kind big brother...you can feel the love in all these pics. Beautiful family.
ReplyDeleteInsightful post, and I enjoyed the photos, too. I think Valentine's Day has gotten worse over time. It used to be a harmless Hallmark holiday and now it's this huge thing with so many unrealistic expectations and stress about grand romantic gestures, lavish gifts, and fancy dinners. Plus, it's annoying to see people gushing and posting photos and stories about how wonderful and thoughtful their significant others are.
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