Pal-o'-mine's Day

Valentine's Day has traditionally been a time of year to show love to someone special in our lives. In the past few years, however, it has grown to gigantic commercial proportions both in the retail stores, as well as in the home environment. Valentine cards are now "expected" to be made for each and every child in your children's classrooms; some (not the ones I send) are even hand-made with a nut-free candy attached to them. I've been instructed to send "unaddressed" Valentine cards into my son's nursery school (signed by me, not him, as he is a not a 3-year-old prodigy) to make sure that all feel loved and appreciated.

What happened to the personalization and thought that should be associated with these gestures of love? Even with our own grown-up "special someones", there is a sense of expectation or duty which has been attached to February 14th, whereby a couple may alternatively agree to ignore the date (thinking they're the only ones doing so), or carry on with the time honoured tradition of chocolates, dinner, diamonds (okay that one passed me by), or a simple card.

On behalf of Moms everywhere, I say that is time to claim this holiday as a day where we thank those we truly appreciate having in our lives; a sort of "Pal-o'-mine's Day", if you will. I'd like to personally nominate the following as recipients of my first Pal-o'-mine's Day cards:

• The teacher who calls my son "enthusiastic" during parent teacher interviews, instead of my well used "maniacal pain in the butt" description. She even giggles when he buttons his head inside his shirt.

• The neighbourhood Mom who turns up on my front door step asking if two of my kids can come over to play at a time when I've been opening the refrigerator door four times in the past five minutes to make sure the wine is still there for my 5:00 imbibe.

• The store clerk and innocent bystanders within a 300 yard range, who restrain themselves from making any comments or gestures during my toddler's meltdown over the $27.00 purple SpongeBob mittens.

• The grandparent who announces that my children were "absolute angels" during their first sleepover visit...and then I hear about the "dangling poo" incident from the children themselves on the ride home.

• The creative Aunt who always arrives with a new craft, video, baked good or educational toy, and then sits down to do/watch/create with the children instead of leaving it to me to procrastinate over and then throw out, lose or stuff in my black pit of a craft cupboard at a later date.