Affairs of the Heart

Valentines Day is a wonderful opportunity to show appreciation for people we love. But many of us also approach this holiday as though we are facing the fate of St. Valentine, the Christian martyr who was beheaded on February 14, giving the holiday its name.

We probably all have painful memories of at least one Valentines Day that left us full of heartache rather than joy. And these days, when we are bombarded for weeks with commercial messages insisting that love is a heart shaped box of candy, its a tough holiday to escape. As parents, we can do a lot to help our children put Valentines Day in perspective.