Don’t pine for a valentine…
Valentine’s day can be compared to a birthday – that one day in a year which makes one feel special. Debates on whether one day is enough to celebrate love or are we emulating the west since its not a part of our culture et al always come to fore. Like birthdays and anniversaries are the time to feel happy, why not the V day? Regardless of its significance, why not revel in the joy of this special day?
Love and romance have always taken a back seat in our culture. Its perceived as time specific – a certain age to fall in love and should I say to fall out of love too? The culmination of love is usually a marriage and once married, the love and romance go out of the window. PDA is only practised for the social media. Couples either feel restricted or are not conditioned to express their love. It’s against our culture to exhibit love as a mark of respect to elders. But even in front of the children, parents refuse to show their affection to each other. One may not be too deliberate expressing one’s love like in the west, but it can certainly be articulated. If children are not exposed to love at home, how can they be expected to love freely and fully? Most adults make this mistake of controlling their emotions in their children’s presence. Children need to learn that expression of love is something normal. When they are deprived of seeing it regularly, they end up considering it as something forbidden and secretive.
A family exuding warmth and affection has a healthy and energetic household, conducive not just to the couple’s wellness, but also to the children living there. It radiates positivity and liveliness to live well to sustain the challenges of life.
There can never be a saturation as far as professing love every day to the family members is concerned. Valentine’s day is one more day to make it extra special. Who says it should only be between a man and woman? Celebration of love needs no target audience. It’s for one and all. So, if you were without a valentine this year, next year you could make any one your valentine – a friend, child, brother, sister, cousin etc. So, don’t pine and get set to dress to the nines for the next Valentine’s…