My Daughter's Valentine's Day

I have never been a huge fan of Valentine's Day. I believe it's a hallmark holiday and makes a lot of people feel bad. Some people celebrate it with their family, and our community center always does a daddy-daughter dance. Which is why I always try to do something fun for my daughter on Valentine's Day every year. Whether she has a Valentine and someone to go to a dance with or she's single, I want her to look forward to Valentine's Day. Granted, she's two, so I have a few years before these problems hit, but I still want her to look forward to it.

Anyway, this year, we went to a 50s party. It was actually a lot of fun. I had an amazing morning; we got ready together, she let me do her hair and we matched in our leather jackets and tight black pants. She saw me putting on red costume makeup and asked for some, so I put a little bit on her and then she had fun and put some on herself later and gave me a good laugh. Of course, I wound up being the only mom dressed like this and every other little girl was wearing poodle skirts. It wasn't really an issue, my daughter was having a blast. I was actually enjoying myself too... until another mom came up to me and told me I was setting a bad example for the other kids. That my daughter was wearing "inappropriate makeup," referring to the costume red lipstick. My two year old... I had no words. We didn't stay much longer anyway and I tried not to let it kill my positive attitude for the day.

It did bother me though. We're both mothers. This mom knew that my daughter's father wasn't in the picture. She knows that I was trying to have some fun with my daughter on what could be a hard day for her. This mom took an opportunity to voice an opinion that seemed to be bothering no one else. As I was thinking about this though, I was also thinking about how lucky I am.

I am lucky because this Valentine's Day, my daughter didn't just get a fun day with me. Her "uncle" also got her a gift. He got her a chocolate rose and some Valentine's Day Reeses. The guy I'm currently in a relationship with also got her gift. He told me he wanted to make sure she didn't feel left out when we were exchanging our gifts. He got her a little heart filled with candy and a puzzle. It was these moments that I: A) almost started to cry because it was so freakin' sweet and B) realized how much I should stop worrying about her and realize that I'm not the only one taking care of her.

I am raising her alone but I am far from alone. Sometimes, I need a reminder of that. I shouldn't have needed a reminder, since this past weekend I was reminded A LOT. I had a minor surgery and people came out of the bushes to help. They set it up so that my daughter was pretty much in good hands all weekend while they let me recover... and they gave me no options. The plans were pretty much made without me and I don't think I really got a chance to tell them how much I appreciated it. As minor as the surgery was, it was nice to not have to worry about not being able to lift up my own daughter. I have a killer family. That is possibly a poor choice of words; a better description would be I have an incredible family.

I shouldn't worry about my daughter not feeling loved because her dad isn't in her life because everyone else is spoiling the hell out of her. We have made ourselves the most amazing family and support team I could ever imagine. My daughter, whether she has a Valentine or not, whether I'm around or not, will always be taken care of. I don't ever have to worry about her feeling unloved. I don't ever have to worry about myself feeling unloved.

I don't think any parent should have to worry about their kids being crushed on Valentine's Day but we don't live in a perfect world. The only thing we can do is try to give our little ones some fun and enjoyment on Valentine's Day. It's really helpful if you know that you aren't the only one trying your hardest to make your child feel loved and wanted and appreciated on Valentine's Day or any day really.

I may have bad luck with other moms I'm not particularly close with, but I am lucky with my friends and family. My daughter's Valentine's Day was amazing and it was mostly thanks to the people I'm closest with.

To quote one of my favorite movies: "This is my family. I found it all on my own. It's little, and broken, but still good... yeah, still good." - Stitch.