He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Valentine's Day... we don't go all-out with our kids on this day. We tell them we love them, do something small & special, and keep on going. This year, we took the kids out to dinner (a few nights early to avoid the crowds!), made burgers for dinner (a family favorite!), and gave them each a sweet treat (although they had so many from school... why bother?). On Tuesday, Nicholas came home from school and immediately went to work, creating the perfect gift for his dad. In a Valentine's picture frame he made at school, he placed a picture of Dad & N from a baseball game. He also wrote a sweet note to his dad, and gave him a small bag of candy from his school treat bag. Wow, right? And how about mom? Nada. Zilch. Nothing. He actually pulled a Ghiradelli Chocolate (dark chocolate + raspberry, YUM!) out of his bag as an after-dinner treat... I made a big deal about how much I LOVE those chocolates... they are my FAVORITE... and he ate it. Bummer. No special note, treat, or hugs for mom. Just an average day. So I felt a little down. I'll admit it. Fast forward a few hours... Math woke up around 9pm with terrible growing pains in his leg. He found us watching TV in the media room and clearly needed a hug. Both Jason & I reached our arms out to hold him... Jason said, "pick your favorite parent" (jokingly, but only because he thought he'd win!). Guess what?!?! He immediately came to me! And snuggled! Awwww. Jason offered to take him back to bed, to tuck him in. He said no, he wanted Mommy to do it. What have I learned? Our kids love BOTH their parents so much. We are so lucky to have sweet children who love to express their love all the time. Nicholas may not show me lots of love on Valentine's Day, but there are so many other moments when he does. I am a lucky mom.