Parenting Tips: How to Keep Your Children From Getting Hurt at School Valentine’s Day Parties

By Rachel Sparks

Valentine’s Day is a stressful day for everyone, whether you’re in a relationship or not. You may be thinking about how you and your spouse can’t afford a babysitter, how being a single parent sucks, or how your teenagers may be having more fun in their relationship than you. As a parent and adult, the stress seems limitless, but to your kids, they Valentine’s Day stress and loneliness may be something they don’t know how to cope with yet, but our parenting tips will help you and your kids survive a stressful holiday.

Protect your kids from Valentine’s Day blues with Cupid’s parenting tips!

Valentine’s Day is full of pressure. you have to buy the perfect gift, have the perfect romantic date idea, or rush to find someone to spend the day with. Our dating advice to you and your family: rushing into a relationship you don’t want will only end in heartbreak and frustration.  Cupid’s relationship advice will help your whole household find something better than what one night can deliver:

1. Make plans with friends: If your kid doesn’t have a date for Valentine’s Day and they’re upset about it, encourage them to make dates with their friends. Whether it’s going to the movies with all their girlfriends, having a rowdy gaming sleepover full of shouting boys and empty pizza boxes, you’ll be helping your kids stay busy and prevent loneliness for the holiday.

Related Link: Making Valentine’s Day Fun Again!

2. Challenge them to meet new people: If they’re going to a party but don’t have a date, challenge them to come back home with three (or five) new people they met. The adrenaline your kids will feel right before introducing themselves to someone new will help make the night exciting and they may even end up with a new friend or two. At the very least, you’re teaching them a long-lasting survival technique for whenever they feel lonely. Loneliness is the spark of a lot of depression young adults face.

Related Link: Parenting Tips: How to Cope with Stress

3. Teach them about bullying: Ultimately, no matter what you teach your kids or how much you try to prepare them, some hardships cannot be prevented. If your kid or one of their friends is being bullied, they need to be able to identify what it is and how to react to it. Make sure you spend time with your kids telling them what signs to look for and that what bullies say should not be taken to heart. Build a support and safety network beforehand so your child knows who to go to when something does happen.

What parenting advice to you have to help kids survive Valentine’s Day at school? Share your tips below!