Two Kid Schoolhouse

• Feb. 1, 2008 - My semi-annual Valentine blues post

Two years ago around this time I blogged about my dislike of the notion of boys over a certain age exchanging valentines. Last year I didn't have anything new to say so I didn't bother. I guess this year I don't have much new to say, except, here I am in a new state with a new homeschool group and... here it is again! The random valentine exchange!

I had really hoped that this wouldn't even come up this year. This homeschool group is bigger, and includes a slightly older crowd than my previous group. My boy is now 10 1/2 years old - sorry to anyone who disagrees, but I think this is way too old for boys to be exchanging valentines. I consider my son a young man now, and men don't exchange valentines!

Of course I have other quibbles. We are pretty new to this homeschool group, but we have participated in a lot of events so we know quite a few people. But when I checked the list of attendees for this shindig, I saw that of the 30-odd kids attending, we know only about 1/2. To highlight the randomness of it all - on the list kids with ambiguous names were identified as boy or girl so when kids prepared their valentines they would at least know if they should give a Pirates of the Caribbean card, or an Angelina Ballerina. Or something like that.

I did ask my kids if they wanted to go, since the venue is fun and a place they don't go to often enough (for their taste, not mine). They were horrified at the thought. So my conscience is clear.

Really, it shouldn't bother me so much when homeschoolers do these schoolish things that make no sense. I assume it's because the moms have fond memories of valentine exchanges in school. I bet if the dads were organizing things, they would not even think to have a valentine party.

One friend from "back home" told me she disagreed with me on this. She felt (probably still feels) that this is a nice way for kids to show others they are thinking about them. Fair enough. But how much thinking are they doing about a kid they don't even know?

• Feb. 2, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by cryskey

I agree. I think the whole Valentine exchange between kids that don't even know each other is pointless. And I also think that boys at that age would be uncomfortable with giving or receiving valentines with other boys. My oldest is now 18, but when he was that age I can remember him not wanting to participate in the Valentine exchange from about the third grade and up.

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• Feb. 2, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Anonymous

I can't say I ever cared for the whole Valentine exchange thing at school when I was little. Too much of a popularity contest, even in 1st and 2nd grades. We avoid all this, though we do make special valentines for people we actually care about!

G
fromtherootsup.blogspot.com

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