Fatherhood Friday
This past Monday was Valentine's Day. Taking place early in the week, you'd think the red-heart feelings would begin over the weekend. You'd be wrong.
This is our first-grader's first year in public school. It has been about thirty years since I was in a school where Valentine's Day was celebrated so I was caught completely unaware with last Friday's homework assignment - write cards for each kid in the class. Really? Why?
Why does a seven year old need to give and receive anything on this holiday? Besides the fact that its barely even a holiday (how many days that have a little more educational opportunity in them are left uncelebrated?), what's the point of having seven year olds celebrate it. These are the same kids that embarrassed and cover their eyes when they see animated kisses in their favorite movies. I just don't get it.
As a married adult, I'm also not a fan of the holiday. I don't hate it or anything but I always feel guilty. And its not because my wife has expectations that I'm not meeting. (At least I don't think that's the case.)
If I get or do something that goes beyond our budget then I feel guilty for busting the budget. And I feel guilty for giving into the Hallmark Holiday. But if I don't get something of substance, I feel guilty for not doing something substantial on the one gimme day to do that! This year the wife and I exchanged cards, which would have been guilt-inducing except for the luck of the calendar - our much delayed anniversary trip is next week, so we told each other that it could count as a mutual Valentine's Day gift too.
Finally, and perhaps most disconcerting, is the love that our pet hamster isn't getting these days. A gift from an aunt to our seven-year old, we viewed this is a trial run in preparation for the potential dog acquisition down the road. Its not looking good.
Now that the novelty has worn off, the seven-year old rarely acknowledges the hamster, let alone takes care of it without significant prompting from mom. (True, a seven-year old can't really change the bedding in the cage, etc., but the point here is that he has no inclination to do that and other simple tasks. Live give it food. Or water.)
Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that he suggested we give it to his younger brother's pre-school classroom. After all, this is the kid who also got tired of the pet frog and suggested the solution might be not to feed it and then after a while we wouldn't have to worry about it. He was kidding. I think.
Lest you think our son is not affectionate, quite the opposite is true. But pets and public and displays of affection just aren't his thing.
(Photo credit: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/labs/place/images/kissing_hamsters.jpg)
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