Valentine's Day when you were a child in school. What was it like? What did you do?

[debm55]

Did you make the shoe box container? Pass out cards with messages? Have a secret Valentine? Have snacks? As a teacher, I made a card for every child in my class so no one would be left out and made cupcakes for everyone. Where your cards homemade or store bought? Did you write messages on them?

[Tree-Hugger]

1. Snacks and cards

We handed out little tiny cards, much like you can find out there today. There were snacks. We had little parties in elementary school.

[debm55]

2. Yes, the last period of the day, parties.

[Chainfire]

3. I believe that we bought cards, but like you, for everyone in the class.

That went on until such a time as I had One valentine at the time. I was always in love from about 6th grade on. I discovered early that I really liked girls...

[debm55]

5. Chainfire, I'm glad you got your Valentine. Did you every date her?

[Chainfire]

8. I started dating her in the Fall of 1968, and I just got finished cooking her supper. ;)

Get them early, train them well, and keep them for life. I can't remember if that was her motto or mine.

[debm55]

9. Oh my, Chainfire, how wonderful________

[Chainfire]

11. It is and has been wonderful. If I cross the river Jordan tonight, I have nothing to whine about.

[XanaDUer2]

4. One memory I have in grade school

Is only getting one valentine. That hurt

[debm55]

6. Xana, I am so sorry that happened to you. We later had a school policy that everyone got a card from

every child. Here is a special smiley for you now.

[XanaDUer2]

7. Thanks

[Tree-Hugger]

10. High school was awful for this

Grade school valentine's were fine. In high school, we had "friendship grams." They were "bouquets" of Tootsie Pops that you could but for your friends. On Valentine's Day, a person (I think from student council) would come into each homeroom class and hand out the friendship grams. I had gotten some for my friends each year, but no one ever got me one. It was embarassing each year.

All this to say - I feel that.

[debm55]

12. When I was in High School the same thing happened to me. I was embarrassed as it was a flower that

you would pin on and everyone got to see. I had none. Wanted to crawl in a hole. I am sorry that happened to you,Tree-Hugger. I think the Valentine's stuff should be stopped after Elementary. High School is so cliquish. This is for you.

[XanaDUer2]

13. I'm sorry

[debm55]

14. thank you Xana, for your hug. It hurt at the time. I don't know if High Schools still do the gift

giving for Valentines Day. My school was raising money for Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. It was for a good cause, but it could have been handled better so no one went without. To you

[2naSalit]

15. Awful and I hated it.

I usually refer to these "holidays" as Halloween.

[debm55]

16. I'm sorry they can turn into popularity contests. Sorry that happened to you.

[2naSalit]

17. Oh...

It was story of my wretched childhood. It really helped me see that I had no place in society at the time, for a long time. Now I just don't care. It's like xmas, I don't have a whole lot to do with it anymore now that I don't have to. Water under the bridge, I'm too old to give damn about that stuff other than maybe passing out hearts on DU which I find fun and personally rewarding.

Thanks for your empathy, that counts.

[debm55]

18. I'll let you in on something, even though I start these threads, My childhood was very, very abusive

I have posted it about it here. Let you in on something else I was afraid I wasn't going to get any hearts. But the people here on DU would not let that happen. they are not like the assholes in HS.

[2naSalit]

19. DU is a better social environment...

Than most places!

[wnylib]

20. In elementary school we passed cards around to

every one in class. They were little one "page" glossy cards in the shape of hearts. Our mothers bought them in packages of 25 or 30 at stationary stores or at discount stores like Grant's or Murphy's.

The cards had different sayings on them, like little candy hearts did: Be mine. My favorite Valentine. Will you be my Valentine? Happy Valentine's Day. Etc. We gave one out to every kid in class. I don't remember if that was a rule set by teachers or just the custom.

No school sponsored Valentine activities in junior and senior high. But kids who were paired off bought their own cards or gifts for their S.O.s.

There was one memorable Valentines day from high school. I'd been dating a guy off and on for a couple years. He was a college freshman when I was a high school junior. On Valentine's Day he proposed marriage and talked about running off to a state where we'd be old enough without parental consent. My first thought was, "I haven't even finished high school!" But I didn't say it. Actually, I was speechless. We had been getting more serious, but were not "going steady" at the time. He said to think it over a couple days before answering.

When he took me home, my mother met us at the door and said that someone was waiting for me. My boyfriend followed us into the kitchen where my uncle greeted me with a huge heart snapped box of chocolates before I could make introductions. He was my father's younger brother and also my godfather. He always bought me gifts for holidays and my birthday. He was married with 3 kids but looked younger than his age and was very good looking. I thanked him and gave him a hug.

At that point, the boyfriend clenched his fists and was visibly angry. He said he was not going to play second fiddle to anyone or be treated like a fool. When my mother and I realized his mistake, we started laughing and introduced my uncle/godfather.

Next day at school I learned that he had also proposed on Valentine's Day to a senior girl at my school that he had dated. But she was going to college the next year and told her friends (I overheard the conversation) that she would not marry until after college. So I thought, who was playing whom for a fool? When he picked me up a couple days later for my answer, I asked if that meant that the other girl had turned him down.

We went out once after that and then no more. Later I learned that he had been eager to marry someone, anyone, in order to avoid the draft because he was dropping out of college and would lose his draft deferment for Vietnam. So a few months after his double proposals, be got another girl pregnant and they married right away.

[sakabatou]

21. I remember making cards for everybody, and maybe those heart candies

That's all I remember.

[hunter]

22. As a Jehovah's Witness I was supposed to ignore the holiday, much as I ignored the flag salute.

I don't really remember Valentines Day kindergarten through third grade. I lived in my own little autistic spectrum world then, mostly oblivious to the social world around me. But I do remember in fourth grade that the rule was you had to give valentines to everybody or nobody. No favorites. I wasn't the only kid who didn't bring store-bought valentines from home and I felt some kinship with them.

Some of my classmates, presumably those with more affluent parents, gave little boxes of candy hearts to everyone.

After my mom got booted out of the Witnesses Valentines day became less of a worry. My younger siblings would bring home their Valentine's Day loot without shame.

My middle and high school experience was so miserable Valentine's Day disappointments weren't even on my radar.