A once loved holiday turns sour when a student hits their teenage years. Valentine’s day is associated with love and romance among young couples and often has a sweet innocence other holidays lack, but not anymore.
A day filled with chocolate, gifts and flowers can often bring excitement and love to many people. However, by the time Feb.14 rolls around, Valentine’s day brings several issues.
Valentine’s day is a very romanticized holiday. The main idea is to show love and affection by flowers, cards and expensive gifts. When in reality, Valentine’s day is stressful and potentially awkward in high school.
In elementary school, Feb. 14 is a very exciting and anticipated day. It’s cute for every kid to decorate their Valentine box with excessive amounts of glitter and pass out candy to each classmate. All the hands-on activities and Valentine’s day crafts are cute when you’re younger, but the meaning of Valentine’s day changes in high school.
Valentine’s day is important for many couples to show their love and affection towards each other; however, many times there is a huge difference between expectation and reality among high school students regarding the significance of the holiday.
The pressure to choose the right gift and to plan the right activities has to measure up to the overall promise of Valentine’s day. Instead couples should show their love through romantic acts year-round.
Statistically, Valentine’s day has some of the highest break-up rates compared to other nation wide holidays. According to Lad Bible, about 42% of breakups happen around Valentine’s day.
Young couples who make plans with high expectations may find those expectations fall flat. This disappointment can lead to relationship troubles. When in such a young and fragile relationship, it’s easy to have small things, like not getting a particular gift or going to a specific restaurant for Valentine’s Day, affect or change feelings towards your significant other.
Instead of pinning all hopes and dreams on a romantic one-on-one date that could potentially be awkward, a better idea would be to celebrate with a group of friends. A trip to the movies, ice skating or sledding in a public group setting relieves immediate stress between high school couples on Valentine’s day.
When in a relationship it’s important to look forward to special holidays such as Valentine’s day. On the other hand, in a high school relationship, one day shouldn’t be the make or break situation.
When older and more mature, Valentine’s day, a once awkward or “stupid” holiday can become a loved annual celebration once again.