…some love. And maybe a hug (especially this weekend).
You know that mom in your kid’s classroom that goes above and beyond for EVERYTHING? She makes you want to vomit, she makes you curse, and she makes you want to accidentally shove her face into the 6-tier cake she baked for the class Valentine’s Day party.
But on this beautiful Valentine’s Day weekend, I received the gift of an epiphany. I know why that mom is so over the top…at least for Valentine’s Day. It’s not because she loves all the red, pink, and purple. It’s not because she’s obsessed with hearts and all things love. It’s not even because she’s blissfully happy in her relationship and wants the world to know how much she adores Valentine’s Day. Nope, it’s none of that.
She’s making up for the fact that she did nothing for her first child’s classroom Valentine’s Day…
…when her child was 8 months old.
So now this mom is spending the rest of her days in atonement. Penance, if you will.
That first year, she may have thought that infants wouldn’t know the difference, so she could enjoy one last year of not buying Valentine’s Day goodies. She probably had no idea that the other moms would send in Valentines to be exchanged amongst infants. She may have been a teacher herself at one point, and not have remembered receiving Valentines from her students’ parents, and therefore didn’t think to get any for her child’s teachers. She, herself, may not have felt like Valentine’s Day was a big deal, so while she totally remembered to get Christmas gifts for everyone, Valentine’s Day didn’t even make the radar.
She may have been feeling like a monumental failure that Friday night going into Valentine’s Day weekend, and subsequently spent the entire weekend wondering how she could not seem like a stalker, and show up at her child’s teachers’ houses with Valentines. She may have even convinced her husband to leave chocolates and a balloon on the front porch of the school owner’s house on the way out for their date.
Just sayin’. There could be a reason behind all of her over-the-topness. Maybe.
So to help you not become that mom, just be aware of every. single. holiday. Even if you think it’s no big deal, it likely is. There will always be those “other” moms who remember, and they will make you feel like a jerk. So go ahead and get your infant’s classmates SOMETHING. Always. Seriously. Just do it.
At least that’s what a friend told me.
Off to start on St. Patrick’s Day…