valentine’s day is not just for lovers.

in my book. it is a bonus day to recognize all those that you love in your life. your partner. your kids. your parents. your friends. your starbucks barista. all the people that you simply cannot imagine your life without.

raising boys. it is super important to me to cultivate a real emotional intelligence in their little minds & hearts. my goal is that they grow up to be deeply in touch with their emotions. comfortable enough to express them freely. bold enough to shower others in love. and wise enough to recognize the value of intimate human connection.

it. is. everything.

to raise men brave enough to give big two handed hugs. and squeeze extra tight. to raise men to express with words their affection & admiration. to raise men to cry without shame. to raise men to just love. and the just feel all the feels. and celebrate that.

that being said. as a single boy mama. i put a huge emphasis on nurturing their emotional connectivity. i try to be purposeful in teaching them how to think of others feelings. how to honor others feelings. and how to express their own feelings. good. bad. and all in between.

one super easy way to practice this is through the art of gift giving. not giving just out of obligation. but really thinking about what gift would speak to someone’s heart. what is going to be invaluable to someone because it touches their heart. what is going to be priceless to them . . . no matter the actual price tag. giving a gift from the heart.

we spend time talking about what different people would love to receive. what are their interests. what are their hobbies. what makes them smile. what makes them happy. this is not an exercise to see who can get the biggest & baddest gift. but rather to teach these little boys to really put thought into how they can love another.

it is really cool to see how they get this. and it excites them. now we will be walking through target & they will see something and squeal. mom. grayma would love those slippers. she loves cozy slippers! or dad would love these football socks. he loves football. and this melts my heart. we usually end up buying the item & gifting it.

again. nurturing the art of gift giving. and showing love.

with valentine’s day right around the corner. we decided that a handmade gift would be the perfect gift.

we took wooden boards from target. grabbed a few paint colors. some scrabble letters. and some glitter. and we went to town crafting the perfect valentine’s day gift for our loved ones.

we made one for their daddy. {super important to me to foster a strong relationship between them} one for grayma. and one for my mother in law.

the boys were so very excited to see the completed project. and they are really excited to give their valentines. mission accomplished. creating an excitement in showing love. that is always the goal.

so here is to raising boys. full of emotion. bursting at the seam with palpable love. overflowing with tenderness. abundantly compassionate. impossibly thoughtful. and downright sweet as pie.