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Twin Cities Mom Collective

A Mother’s Valentine

A Mother’s Valentine | Twin Cities Moms Blog

I don’t want a fancy gift for Valentine’s Day. I don’t need a dinner out or a night at a hotel. Diamonds and jewelry just don’t speak to my heart.

Give me handprints.
Give me mama love notes in child handwriting.
Give me love coupons.
Give me construction paper hearts dotted with glitter and glue.
Give me friendship bracelets and macaroni necklaces.
Or just a hug or “Mama, I love you.”
My true gift is being a mama.

There is a sweet buzz that happens on this holiday. The kids pick out their special notes. They pick out the most obnoxious brightly colored candy for their friends. They decorate boxes and bags and come home with more candy than they ever need.

I always receive one of their sweet Valentine’s. Sometimes they ask me if I want to keep the candy. I always laugh how my valentine is given so they get an extra candy. I love that they think of me and love seeing their name take shape each year as they hone their writing skills.

I don’t need a special holiday to know mother’s love; I feel it each and every day.

I think about what to get them. They love those fuzzy bears at the supermarket or I could get them more candy. I don’t know if they could read a big Valentine even if I wrote them one. It is a silly holiday, but I still want them to know in a bigger than usual way that I love them.

I know sometimes they don’t see the love I feel for them. Sometimes it is because I’m so tired or I’ve lost my patience. I know my love is not always perfect and it gets foggy when things get hard. I worry that my love, while never waning, may be unclear to my kids.

I hope my kids know my love for them. I hope they know there is no card that contains each and every word I feel and hold for them. A mama carries so very much in her heart. There just isn’t a card we could give to our kids that says everything we hold inside. And I know it isn’t in a giant teddy bear or candy gift either.

If I gave them a Mother’s Valentine it would be simple, it would say what I love about them most and how they make me feel each and every day. My Valentine would brag about their characteristics and values. It would tell them how their hugs breathe new life into me. I would tell them how each and every day my heart grows bigger with love for them. I would draw my best doodle hearts and try and impress them with my lettering skills. But the reality is, while I am self-conscious that my love may seem at times to not be enough, it really is. My kids know, your kids know, because while we make mistakes and have tough days, our kids know deep down they are loved by us. They forgive our mistakes, they forget about how frustrated we got, and they remember our big love for them. They remember how we stay to snuggle, how we take them to the library and read books, how we make time for them, and how our face looks when they say, “Mom.”

That’s enough for them. And isn’t it funny how the simplest moments and gestures are good enough for us too?

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