CityView Magazine

8 Februar y 2023 Claire Mullen can be reached at clairejlmullen @gmail.com. FAMILY MATTERS A youthful perspective on Valentine's Day BY CL AIRE MULLEN start with having breakfast in bed and drinking coffee. en watch a romantic movie. Your lunch could be all heart-themed, like heart-shaped sandwiches you use a cookie cutter for; cranberry juice since it's red; and strawberries and apples cut up to look like hearts. en you would need a lot of time to get ready for dinner. Probably at Luigi's. You should dress very fancy and wear high heels, and Dad should put on a nice suit." A: "Grown-ups probably just want to kiss on the lips all day long. But for breakfast, you should eat a lot of doughnuts, then go on a bike ride. e best thing to eat for lunch would be heart-shaped PBJs. en it would be really fun to go to DEFY (trampoline park). For dinner, definitely go to Luigi's (the Mullen family has received no form of compensation from Luigi's Italian Chophouse and Bar for these endorsements), but you need a special dress with flowers on it and Daddy has to wear a tuxedo. … I'll wear a plaid shirt and fancy jeans, and Sissy will wear a dress like you." Interviewer: "Wait, you and Sissy are coming on our Valentine's date?" A: "Yes! Why wouldn't we?" What gis should Daddy and I get each other for Valentine's Day? S: "Maybe you could get him a gi card to Dick 's and tickets to a Tar Heels game, and he could get you roses and heart-shaped chocolates." A: "Daddy should get you a new toilet since ours is old. at's all I can think of. And for him, a shaver for his beard, one of those massage guns, and something that is made out of bacon." A new toilet? Really? Moving on. What do you think about romance? F eb. 14 is fast-approaching. My husband and I have celebrated a lot of Valentine's Days together (22, to be exact), and we've done so in just about every way a couple possibly can. Date nights at fancy restaurants that require reservations. Home-cooked, candlelit dinners featuring special recipes selected and made together, served on our rarely used fine china in our rarely used dining room. Chinese takeout on TV trays at 10 p.m. aer putting colicky babies to bed. We've gied each other everything from jewelry, expensive champagne, couple's massages and overnight stays at swanky bed- and-breakfasts too. Of late, we've given more practical presents like hooded, ankle-length, wearable fleece blankets; orthopedic pillows; humidifiers; and car vacuums. While I am so grateful for my childhood sweetheart, I think we both would agree that when we think back on all those years together and look forward to all the ones to come, it can be a somewhat daunting task to come up with new, meaning ful ways to commemorate the Day of Love. And so, this year, as I pondered how we might celebrate and what I might give, I decided to consult with my two closest confidants to see what fresh perspectives and innovative ideas they might have to offer. Here is my Valentine's Day interview with my 8-year-old daughter, "S," and 6-year-old son, "A." Let's talk about Valentine's Day. What do you think would be the best date for Valentine's Day? (Clarification from interviewer): "Feb. 14th." S: "Oh, that kind of date. Well, you could S: "If it's you and Daddy, ewww. No. But it's OK for anyone else, I guess." A: "Can we not talk about that?" When do you think you'll have your first Valentine? S: "is year, I hope. But I'm not telling you who it is because it's too risky. What if his mom and dad read CityView?" A: "Not until I'm at least 16." What would you say is the meaning of Valentine's Day? S: "To show people that you appreciate them and love them." A: "It's all about love-ness." OK, you both mentioned love. If you could give the definition of love, what would it be? S: "Love is when you show respect and appreciation for someone and then do kind gestures for them." A: "Kindness. at's pretty much it." To each of you, may your Valentine's Days be filled with all the love-ness they can hold. And to my forever Valentine, if you give me a toilet, you can forget the part about kissing on the lips all day long. "Grown-ups probably just want to kiss on the lips all day long. But for breakfast, you should eat a lot of doughnuts, then go on a bike ride. The best thing to eat for lunch would be heart-shaped PBJs..." "It's all about love-ness"

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