Valentine's Day. I was happy to find that divorce did NOT spoil one of my favorite holidays for me. Probably because it's never been about having a wildly romantic day for me. It's about being with people you love, celebrating the beauty of the relationships you have, and taking a moment to just grin with the thought of all the LOVE that's swirling around in the world.
I made the Rudy and Julia progressive Valentines this year, and I think I'll turn that one into a tradition. I had fun thinking of specific things that I love about my children, and Rudy and Julia had fun finding new links to their chains and seeing my love for them grow every day. In fact, Rudy said, next year, instead of doing 10 things you love about us, lets do 1,000 things, OK? Ha! I'm thinking we'll stick with ten. ;)
Rudy's preschool hosted a Valentine's Dance for their students. The kids were invited to dress up for the event, and taught proper dance ettiquite in circle time just before the dance began. ("Could I have this dance, please?" Yes, thank you! or No, thank you.) The ladies from the beauty salon next door came in and did the girls' hair in beautiful braids and ribbons, and made the boys' hair 'cool'. What an awesome community I live in!
It was great fun to see the kids trying on a new social setting for size. During each of the 3 or 4 songs played, there was at least one kid who was upset/overwhelmed with the social demands of being at a dance, but the teachers and parents did a great job soothing and supporting those kids as they learned to master some new skills. Boy do I wish I would have got that kind of training in preschool. Maybe I wouldn't have ducked out into the hall for visit to the loo, or to get a drink of water, or to get some 'fresh air' every time a couples dance was played at the church dances I went to as a teen. :) I sure love Rudy's preschool. They have been such a light in his life, and mine and Julia's even.
