Dads Tell Us How They Celebrate Valentine’s Day With Their Kids (And How They Don’t)

Because EVERYTHING is controversial and political these days, here’s a Valentine’s Day post to argue about on the internet! Yay!

We kid, kind of, because while we may see this sweet mid-February as a fake holiday and choose not celebrate we should still be able to respect the will of others to exchange chocolates, candies, flowers and kisses. I mean, those aren’t bad things at all. Here’s how some of the dads of our Facebook community are (or are not) celebrating Valentine’s Day with their kids.

Ian Danie Rice: Valentine’s Day is my wedding anniversary, 2010. It’s also my daughter’s birthday, 2012. It wasn’t planned to be that way, just kind of happened. It’s our “family day” so we’ve had years where we just go to dinner or a movie. Just being together is what we want.

A.j. Gandenberger: I think it’s important to make your wife feel loved, so I generally do not celebrate the day with my kids. I’ll get her some chocolates, have flowers ready with an online flowers delivery service, and a bear or something, but the day is spent with my wife, usually taking her somewhere to do something. The kids get everything else, birthdays (including mom’s and dad’s sometimes!), Christmas, Halloween, and almost every other day of the year. Celebrate your wife on Valentine’s Day.

Andrew West: I don’t. I think it’s a ridiculous holiday. I can celebrate the love I have for my family every day. I don’t need a special day to do it. That being said, do love sharing candy hearts with my kids!

Louis Long: We don’t do anything for Valentine’s Day, it’s not really something were interested in. Showing love just because a day tells you too seems too fake.

Corey Alan: My son takes the day off from school because I don’t believe Valentine’s Day should be celebrated in school and then we spend the day together. Most likely this year we will do lunch, movies and go karts.

Stephanie Boyer-Vogel: My dad was a single dad. I always got chocolates. Now that I’m married we get the kids something small and we just spend the night together:)

Scott Mcl: Lead by example in how I treat my wife. My son should learn how to treat a woman and my daughter should learn to accept nothing less then love and respect. Oh and cake.

Damon Woodard: Taking my three-year-old daughter on a date this weekend – just her and I. We’re dressed up and going out. We’ll have a rose at our table and enjoy eating dinner together.

James McGuire: Every year my kids get a stuffed animal with the year on it and a little box of chocolates. To me I think if your going to buy things for your significant other to feel loved then it also should be the same for anyone in the home.

Finally, something to consider from a woman who remembers what her dad did for her on V-Day as a child, from Valerie Hudson: I just wanted to say to the dads, I have a very fond childhood memory of my dad on Valentines. He had just worked the night shift. I woke up, he was already asleep. But next to my bed was a little wooden heart necklace. And probably a card. I found out later that he’d worked all night, got off and stopped and bought me that. It just made me feel like I was the most important person to him. It remains one of my best memories. That necklace broke one day. I sure wish I still had it. Dads, never ever think your children don’t take notice. I am 40 now. Over 30 years later I still remember that. And I remember feeling so important. Do little things. They’ll remember.

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How do you celebrate Valentine’s Day? Share your story with us on Facebook!

*Flickr photo by JD Hancock, used under Creative Commons license.