Do we try too hard to shield our kids?
Valentine's Day in school is an all-or-none affair these days; is that overbearing, or just smart?
Did you bring enough for everyone? Many schools in Canada have instituted policies requiring kids and their parents to bring Valentine's Day cards for the entire class, or none at all.
Proponents say it keeps the day from becoming a popularity contest. Opponents see it as coddling.
Do we try too hard to shield our kids?
We asked readers in our latest CBC Forum — a live, hosted discussion about topics of national interest. Here's some of what they had to say.
(Please note that user names are not necessarily the names of commenters. Some comments have been altered to correct spelling and to conform to CBC style. Click on the user name to see the full comment in the blog format.)
"I got tons of cards as a kid, but my sister, who had many social and learning difficulties, did not. It was tough on both of us. When my own children were told it's cards for all or none, I rejoiced. So much easier on all of the kids and still a fun tradition." — Simply Working
"I remember Valentine's Day in grade school as being a popularity contest. Maybe we shouldn't make it part of the curriculum. It's a commercial holiday after all." — Mic Mac
"We can teach children rejection if they don't get a card, but isn't it also a valuable lesson to teach children to be inclusive and caring to everyone? It's a card for crying out loud. We're not making them spend every weekend together." — charles harding
'They should ... not enforce specific behaviours for any such days. Rather, the school should intervene if any serious bullying surfaces, just like normal. Let kids experiment on their own and merely provide the bandages." — My Wife's Son
"Yes, a kid singled out will feel terrible. But that's a necessary part of growing up. That kid will know how it feels like to be rejected and, through adult guidance, will learn how to cope with it and to realize how inconsequential it was." — WeWuzKANGZ
"The real world is a tough place. Get them ready for that." — MOA
"I challenge anyone on here to console a bawling child who received no Valentines who also goes home to no love or kindness, has no friends, and has no one to tell them they matter, and give this 'part of life' rhetoric I am seeing here." — saskmannotsasquatch
"As a kid with multiple disabilities who was mainstreamed, I can tell you what it was like to receive two or three Valentine's Day cards, while those all around me received many more. I didn't know what the word 'ostracized' meant, but I sure do know what it feels like." — Catherine O'Connor
With files from CBC's Joseph Quigley