Valentine's Day is also a day of anxiety for some people. Even children, who do not have a bigger understanding of love just yet, can get anxious because the day of love is filled with so many expectations and potential disappointments.
The anxiety children experience might be familiar to parents. Remember what Valentine's Day was like in middle school or high school?
Huffington Post listed a few reasons for a child's Valentine's Day anxiety and the majority on the list is about giving cards or gifts, or receiving them. Did he pick the right card? Was the gift wrapped in a presentable box? Did she forget a friend? Will someone forget to give him a card or gift? What would she say if she receives a gift from someone she doesn't like?
Children's National suggested for parents of younger kids to ask the teacher about Valentine's Day activities in school. It might be necessary to ask for a list of names so no one is missed out from her classmates and there will be no hurt feelings.
For parents of teenagers, however, it might be more prudent to hold back being too involved with Valentine's Day preparations. Teens might have special plans that parents should respect. Instead, showing moral support towards the teenage child is more important.
But what if the child was left out or didn't get something from her friends? Some parents tend to downplay what happened by telling the child to ignore this or forget about the rejection. Better Parenting Institute suggested for parents to talk it out as this is an effective way to teach children how to deal with the hurt.
Parents must let children know Valentine's Day anxiety is normal even for adults. They can also choose to completely pass on celebrating or observing the day of love and that's completely normal as well.
