Valentine Gift-Giving for Kids 101

Our boys are ages 13 and 10, and each of them has a girlfriend. I don't know how serious these relationships are, particularly where our youngest is concerned. He only knows his girlfriend asked him to be her boyfriend and he responded in the affirmative. Beyond that, he doesn't know what "going together" means. I'd like to keep it that way.

Our oldest, on the other hand, is apparently a little more "involved" with his girlfriend. He's been "seeing her" for a couple of months or so. They're in the same grade and have a couple of classes together. I have my spies at school, who have reported sightings of hand-holding, but nothing beyond that. My son and his girlfriend have attended two school dances together as a couple, and he's insisted on paying for the tickets out of his own pocket for the two of them. I like that he's generous and thoughtful in that way. ☺

About a month ago I'd discussed the fact that Valentine's Day was approaching, and inquired about the boys' intentions in regard to any gift-giving. Did they plan on buying said girlfriends any gifts for this special day? I want to be prepared for these things in advance since gift options are limited here. They both said they hadn't planned on it. Hmmm... I dropped the subject, but revisited it a couple of weeks later.

When asked about valentine gift-giving for said girlfriends a second time, the boys stuck by their original responses. I asked my oldest if he and his friend referred to another as "boyfriend-girlfriend" and he said yes. I asked him if he really liked this girl and he again said yes. Really? I told him, and I believe my exact words were, "You won't be her girlfriend for long if you don't get her a gift." I explained that girls look at things a little differently than boys, and that if he and his girlfriend are indeed a couple, she would most definitely be expecting a gift. He finally got it. Boys!

My hubby and I accompanied our son to the base exchange to help find both a card and a gift for this young lady. We were really surprised that he actually wanted our assistance. He ended up choosing a card that focused on friendship, so it wasn't something her parents would be raising their eyebrows over, and he opted for a very cute stuffed animal, something he felt she would like. I added a little baggie of valentine M&Ms and told him I had a red gift bag he could put everything in, and we'd make it look nice by putting some tissue paper inside.

That same night, as he was going to bed, my son asked me if I could go ahead and retrieve the tissue paper for the gift bag. Mind you, Valentine's Day was still 2 weeks away, but he wanted the gift ready right then. I obliged, getting quite a big kick out of his concern, and he asked me if he was supposed to wad up the paper and stick it in the bag. I had to show him how to gently stuff the paper in the bag to make it look pretty. It was all very funny and endearing. Never before had he shown an interest in the presentation of a gift. He must really like this girl. I'm so not ready for this!

Once his brother had taken care of his girlfriend's gift, our youngest son decided he should give his own girlfriend a gift as well, therefore we made yet another trip to the base exchange to search for just the right thing. He came up with a tiny stuffed animal... a pig to be exact, one that snorts when you squeeze its mid-section. I wasn't so sure this chosen gift would go over very well. I mean, who gives his girlfriend a pig? That could backfire big time, right? He assured me that she would like it, as she collects pigs. We bought it, but I immediately called the girl's mom (a friend of mine) to inquire about the likelihood of this gift being a hit. She confirmed that her daughter has been on quite the "pig kick" lately. Score! He's already showing signs of being a good boyfriend in that he actually listens to what she tells him. We added some valentine M&Ms in her gift bag as well. He hasn't had the opportunity to give her the valentine gift yet, as she's out of town for a few days. I hope his gift will meet with satisfaction. He's fairly oblivious to the whole thing, and I'm okay with that.

Last night our oldest met his girlfriend at the Cupid Dance for middle-schoolers. My hubby and I had offered to show up and help chaperone and he looked like he might faint on the spot. ☺ He took the gift with him and gave it to his girlfriend at the dance, and he said she liked it, hugging him twice in return. Awww... WHAT!? They were hugging? Were they doing anything else? I so wanted to ask, but I refrained from giving him the third degree. Instead I focused on asking questions about who else was in attendance and what kinds of things they did. He said they slow-danced, and at last count, the two of them have slow-danced together about 8 times between the last two dances. He's counting how many times they've slow-danced. I think that's precious!

This whole gift-giving thing for girlfriends is new to me. I don't know if I can take the pressure.