First Posted: 2/11/2015
Ahh, Valentine’s Day.
It’s a romantic holiday that, if you’re not careful, you might end up with kids.
If you end up with kids, if you’re not careful, it’s not a romantic holiday anymore.
First, let me tell you a bit about our romantic holiday plans. My wife and I have a standing bet on the Super Bowl. Whoever loses the bet has to make the plans for a Valentine’s Day date.
My wife lost the bet once again this year, putting her belief behind Seattle’s ability to hand the ball to Marshawn Lynch for the winning touchdown instead of throwing an interception. But I digress.
She set about planning the perfect Saturday. She lined up her mother to watch our three daughters overnight while planning a romantic overnight getaway for the two of us.
Perhaps we’d head out to Amish country. Maybe we’d catch a comedian and enjoy the night life in Columbus. We could sneak off to Detroit to rub elbows with the high rollers at the casino. Anything was possible.
We’ve been married long enough that the honeymoon is over, but there’s still a spark between us. We truly enjoy being in one another’s company, and I pray that I never lose that urge to be near her. So whatever the plans, I was happy, as long as we’re together.
Any parent will tell you plans and reality are seldom the same.
The reality of our holiday was sneaking off to a nearby restaurant and prayed our 13-year-old wouldn’t call us with complaints about her sisters before we returned home a few hours later.
Who do we have to blame? I blame the kids.
The plans started to dissipate when we realized our younger two daughters still had basketball games to play, and I’d volunteered to help coach. That meant we couldn’t leave until after 2 p.m.
Then we figured out there was special dance class involving our oldest daughter from 1 to 4 p.m.
Add in work commitments — both mine and my wife’s — and Valentine’s Day turns into Valentine’s Hours.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ll cherish any amount of time I can get with this wonderful, beautiful woman who I’d choose over and over again. I just doubt we’ll have as much opportunity to get away from it all when we have such a small amount of time apart from our children.
The day evolves over the years, though, and this change doesn’t bother me as much as I did when I was younger. It’s still a celebration of love, but that love includes having active children, challenging jobs and rare opportunities to enjoy my spouse’s company.
It’s about loving my own life. We should all be grateful when we have a life worth enjoying.
