I’m 27, when we were in elementary school everyone made their own mailbox and taped it to their desk, and the rule was usually that you had to either give no valentine’s day cards, or give one to every student. I don’t see the problem with it, no one took it seriously anyway. I gave out Streetfighter 2 Valentine’s Day cards.
I’m your age but we didn’t do all that much in class for V-Day. Once or twice we might have done a card exchange on a randomized one-to-one basis. Each student having to come up with a card for every other student in the room seems crazy excessive to me, particularly since girls and boys that age often despise each other. Making the kids do this just seems overbearing. Oh yeah–we also did the construction paper projects, which were usually intended for one’s mother or other female family members.
The 1st paragraph is my experience. (same age)
I ALWAYS sent flowers/chocolate flowers to the Girl I Wasted My Adolescence On. She never confronted me about it, from what I was told, she took it in good humor.
One would hope so -------- but some of the shops down here in De Burgh will tattoo kids - with both parents signing and at least one present.
(I actually know a family who let their 10/11yo get tats and look at how many of the local high school football players are sporting ink :smack: )
Lazy Boy - Underwear Go Inside the Pants
I almost drove off the road, when I heard that song/rant on the radio(!) while driving around New Zealand. Best summary of the situation.
I was unfortunate and went to an all-boys school. Fortunately as a result though, Valentines day was basically completely ignored, it was a non-event. I don’t recall ever getting a Valentine. I’m sure that did not impinge on my self-esteem. With my contemporaries in the mid-60’s and late 60’s, IIRC they could give valentines to select favourite individuals and there were mutterings in places like Dear Abby about how unfair and cruel that was. Also, IIRC at that time it was mainly a boy-girl thing.
In elementary public school in the late 60s/early 70s, we did the “give everyone a card” thing, although I don’t remember ever giving or receiving candy. At the end of the day we opened them and had a party. I also seem to remember making a “mailbox” from a decorated brown paper lunch bag and taping it on my locker.
In the '40s and early '50s (of the 20th Century, kids), we had some grades where we only gave to certain people. My Mother suggested that I give them to not only the kids I liked, but to the unpopular kids too.
Other classes asked us to give to everyone. Apparently this was a teacher option in my rural elementary school.
I do remember treasuring the cards from Linda Lee and Sandra…sigh. 1st grade through 4th.
You did ask for old people to respond, right?
I’m 32 now. I went to an all girls’ school where Valentine’s was celebrated. As I remember, we each had white paper bags about the size of lunch sacks. We decorated them and put our names on them, then they were taped up around the edge of our classrooms.
Most of the valentines were just cards though a few had a piece of candy too. Kinda weird a bunch of girls sending each other valentines, but there you go. Then by the time I got to high school some of the other girls were getting flowers from boys. That’s a lot more normal.
Exactly the same for me. I could have written this word for word myself.
Of course the same sort of people who tsk-tsked (i.e. bitched) about selective valentine cards, to Dear Abby and other social advice columns, also at that time were complaining about the damage to children’s precious self esteem when someone went around handing out birthday party invitations in class to only a few (or only half, or worse, except for a few) of the the kids in the class.
IIRC the 70’s was also when you started seeing rules about “no handing out party invitations in class”. Most kids were not stupid - by around age 8 they knew exactly what they were doing when they selected special friends and snubbed others. They are just less subtle about it than adults.
Now that’s just creepy. :eek:
Wow …weird thread… I feel like I might have gained just a little more insight into all the high school shootings over the past few years …
Why? It’s already been explained that Valentine’s Day is a neutered occasion in American culture. A kid could get a card from aunts, uncles, grandparents, whatever. There’s nothing sexual about those cards.
You what now?
Exactly. My father used to give both me and my mother Valentine’s Day candy, and it really was all perfectly innocent.
But I think it’s become looked on outside of the US as purely a romantic occasion between lovers. It’s a big hit in Thailand now, and the romantic angle is played up heavily. The culture mavens are even decrying the fact that it’s even become somewhat traditional for girls to lose their virginity to their boyfriends on that day.
It’s still weird that the majority are for an UNSPECIFIED adult. It does get a bit creepy if you picture them being used people who aren’t covered by the other cards. It’s one thing to hang around kids you don’t have any type of relationship with, but another to single them out with full cards. It just seems like a little too much interest.
Anyways, we did the perfunctary version. In fact, it seems wrong to me not to. There’s no reason you can’t also single out people to be your Valentine–I did it all the time. Since no one got to see the contents of others’ mailboxes (which, yes, we made in class) you could give them without making others feel left out. So you got the best of both worlds.
My first “girlfriends” happened because of Valentine’s Day. And to offer some relief to April, it meant we hung out at recess, maybe holding hands. That’s it.
And I think we were right on the cusp with candy. I didn’t in kindergarten, but did by sixth grade. And I remember it happened becuase some kid became very well liked because he put candy in his, which led to other people doing it. It was not quite perfunctary by the time I did it, but I’m not surpriesed it has become that.
I sorta understand where you are coming from, but I think this sort of talk would be better suited for another thread, perhaps in GD. I know other people are sorta hinting at it, but making it this direct is just going to stir people up. People are pretty starkly divided on whether forced inclusiveness is a good or bad thing.
As it is, your post seems rather inflammatory for no reason. I of all people know it is tempting to make these types of posts, but you gotta take time to stop and think about whether they will mess up the thread.
But why would you assume that’s who is using them? Most likely they are being used by those who might be covered by another card, but for whatever reason doesn’t want one of those cards. I find myself often rejecting greeting cards that are specifically directed at my situation, simply because I like some other card better. I should think that that’s more economical for the card company – produce a handful of specific cards that people who are insistent on a specific card can buy, and a large number of cards that anyone could buy.
Now, why be as specific as an unspecified adult for an unspecified child? Well, because those cards are more suitable for children. The absolute generic valentines are ones that do seem to be more romantic.