Valentine's Day Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Mothering in the Middle

My Love Will Not Let You Down

by Ellie Stoneley

At this time of year, when the tills of florists, card shops and chocolate emporia go “ker-ching,” the world is suddenly filled with red heart-shaped helium balloons, and I’ve often been known to become a little cynical.

I love ‘love’, and I love being told I’m loved and I love loving the people I love, but, and it is a big, but, I do struggle with the huge amount of money spent at Valentine’s Day on meals that are that bit more expensive than they usually are and, well, the whole thing really. I used to love the idea of anonymous Valentine’s cards and remember trying to disguise my writing in them at school or trying to decipher coded messages to see if I could work out who a card was from. I also know and do remember the bitter disappointment when no card arrived, or if the rose that did come wasn’t a huge bunch of them. (Yes, I was that shallow as a teenager … and constantly disappointed!!!) […]

Does Cupid Need Therapy?

by Marc Parsont

I’d like to offer apologies in advance to those of you who love Valentine’s Day and find my thoughts saccharine-religious. I don’t always spend my time thinking of things like this. Oh, no, it sometimes gets worse.

I wonder how old Cupid is and why he’s still wearing a Toga? Is he a party animal? Does he get drunk and stupid like we did when we were young and throw up on the floor? Who cleans it up? Do mother or father clean up after their little Cupid? (Midlife parents would do anything for their children, overlook any problem, for even terribly misbehaved ones like Cupid.) […]

10 Reasons I Love Myself

by Ann Sheybani

image courtesy of flickr.com

I love, love, love Gala Darling. Her site is all about radical self-love. My favorite among her posts: 100 Ways You Can Start Loving Yourself Right Now. In it she says:

“Make lists of reasons why you love yourself… & write down (or keep mental lists) of the compliments other people give you. We’re so quick to believe people when they say nasty, unkind or “brutally honest” (ahem, cruel) things to or about us, & we discard all the times we’re told how amazing, beautiful or intelligent we are. Usually this is because our sense of self-doubt is stronger than our self-love. If you can build up the love side of things, this will begin to change.” […]

Interview with Josie Iselin, Author of Heart Stones and Sea Glass Hearts

by Cyma Shapiro

Dear Reader: Heart Stones is my most favorite Valentine’s Day book, ever. I own and have given several of Josie’s books for presents. MitM is honored to feature her, for Valentine’s Day.

Q: Josie, your first book is called Loving Blind/Seeing Red: A Mother’s Decade. It features a series of images with connecting anecdotes about life with small kids which was inspired by your earliest path through motherhood. As the mother of three children, now ranging in age from 15 to 20, they appear to be your driving force, motivation and inspiration. Please tell me more about your journey with them and how it has contributed to your finding your life’s work.

I had my first baby (20 years ago nearly today in fact!) at midwinter break in the second of three years of an MFA program and when done, I thought I would be teaching pretty consistently. But teaching in the arts is initially a transient thing…The reality was that the best economic model for our family was for me to be home with the kids…and it was a gift to us as a family and to me as an artist. My studio is just downstairs (through the backyard) from the kitchen and my work and life are intertwined, physically as well as psychically. My kids and my husband always inspire me to do better work. […]

A Valentine’s Tradition

by Maggie Lamond Simone

Gather ’round, kids. Our very favorite holiday, Valentine’s Day, is fast approaching. It’s the one day we are allowed to blatantly display our love for each other, and every year Auntie Maggie takes particular delight in sharing the special story of this most romantic time. Yes, Auntie Maggie has an issue or two. […]

Ah, February (An Anti-Romantic Love Essay)

by Andrea Lynn

Ah, February. The month of love. Spare me. Always my least favourite holiday, Valentine’s Day, edging out New Year’s Day by a whisker. Both holidays of forced expression of love, or joy, both awkward for the singletons at the party or restaurant, surrounded by the coupled. […]

Guest Blog Post: A Valentine’s Day Salute to Parenthood’s Impact on Marriage

by Len Filppu

This Valentine’s Day, I’d like to put in a good word or two about marriage. Statistical studies show that married men live longer than single men.

I’m not sure about marriage’s impact on wives (I’m afraid to look), but as a husband who became a first time dad in midlife, I’m happy to subscribe to this notion. You see, my children are pre-teens, and I still have plenty of work ahead preparing them to be able to make a great living in order to support my dreamed and schemed about lavish retirement lifestyle. (Just kidding.) […]

Heart Facts: How Well Do You Know Yours?

by Beverley Golden

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, everywhere we look we see the signs. Roses, doves and lovebirds. Of all the symbols we associate with Valentine’s Day, the heart is the one that most defines it. Juicy, plump and bulging red hearts adorn all things related to this holiday, devoted to love. Perfect heart images appear, almost magically, everywhere on everything, moments after the Christmas season has ended. […]

10 Ways To Share Love With Your Child This Valentine’s Day

Five things to do for your child:

Cut-up Notes: Go through magazines and find letters that spell out a special message for your child. Attach the letters to a mirror, under a breakfast plate, to the inside of a lunch box or some other special place for your child to discover. […]

Don’t Look A Gift Horse’s Patooti In The Mouth

by Julie Donner Anderson

Women buy more books than men, which might explain why Dr. John Grey’s series of Mars/Venus books are bestsellers. Most women are clueless in regard to the male of the species, especially their never-ending failure in the romance department. Women will go to the ends of the earth (or to a bookstore, incognito) in search of the answer to the age-old question: When it comes to gifts, why is my husband such a klutz? Such a question is never asked aloud, however. It would make us women appear ungrateful for the smallest gestures our men attempt, but let’s face it: It’s hard to fake a smile when you get a bowling ball for your birthday. […]