Enjoy a Special Family Valentine's Day

Going to a restaurant on Valentine's Day is the last thing I want to do. Long lines, crowded tables and often rushed, poorly prepared food is not what I consider a celebration.

Celebrating at home with your family is much more fun. We've done it for years and my children look forward to our home party.

We start with special food. I generally create a favorite meal. Heart-shaped jello, valentine's cookies, decorated cupcakes, cake pops, etc. have made the celebration. I sometimes make meatloaf in a heart-shaped pan and cover it with ketchup.

Next is the party. Everyone makes a valentine "mailbox." Sometimes these have been from kits, other times they  have been empty cereal boxes or large envelopes. Each family member needs one (you can make one for less crafty or grumpy family members). Then during the day each family member places Valentines for each person and small gifts in their box. After dinner we open our cards. It becomes a nice time to show how much we love each other.

Another feature of our party is a Valentine hunt. Red construction paper hearts, pre-purchased foam or cardboard hearts or heart-shaped doilies work nicely. Also some Valentine candy sweetens the hunt. A few "prize" hearts contain special treats (like a free trip for ice cream, a gift card, staying up 1 hour past bedtime
--whatever is appropriate for the age children you have). Much like an Easter egg hunt, the children scour the house for well-hidden hearts. Sometimes they are too well-hidden and we find them months later.

We often fill a jar with M&Ms or other candies and have a guessing contest. The one who guesses closest to the actual number wins the jar of candy (although they generally share). We count after everyone has guessed, so the counting is part of the process.

Finish the evening with a romantic movie or a family board game. Then when the kids go to bed, Mom and Dad can enjoy a glass of wine and relax together.

Kids and Politics

This current political season offers a great opportunity for you to engage your children in the political process. Voter turnout and grassroots participation in politics has been waning for decades. Parents need to explain the political process to kids if we have any hopes of maintaining our democratic way of life.

Seven Suggestions for Developing Future Voters

1. Set a good example. If your children see you voting, they'll be more likely to follow your lead when they are older. Take them to the polls with you (if they are old enough), so they can see you vote and see how the process works.

2. Talk about news stories. Use dinner time to engage in a little old-fashioned political debate.

3. Ask your kids who they would vote for and why? You might get some interesting answers.

4. Mention the political ads and signs when you're driving in the car. Discuss how the signs got there (volunteerism) and why do people display their support in this way.

5. Volunteer yourself to help with campaign efforts. If the task is simple, let you kids help out.

6. Talk to your children about why voting is an important responsibility in our country.

7. When discussion get heated either in your own home or in the media, talk to your children about civility and respecting other people's positions--even when they are different from your own. Civil discussion is lacking in modern society, so teaching children that the discussion are great, but that they need to be done with respect will help the democratic process for years to come.