Hugs grab dad's heart on Valentine's Day

Forget the hearts and Cupid's arrows, Valentine's Day looks a lot like Halloween at our house -- only without the mask.

At least the kids see it that way. And why not? They're on a sugar high with all that chocolate candy.

Bailey says the big difference between Valentine's Day and Halloween is that Valentine's Day has hearts. But even at 7 years of age, she knows this holiday -- at least for kids -- is really about candy.

It's also a time when we all see red, right down to those red-lip erasers on the Valentine's Day pencils.

The holiday has come a long way since Cupid first unleashed his arrows without the help of a single dinner special.

Like most holidays, the origins of this holiday can be traced back to the Romans, the original party animals. Over time, it became more than just another wild party. It turned into a ritual for romance.

Jail time helped too.

The story goes that St. Valentine, while in prison, cured the jailer's daughter of blindness. She fell in love with the man. Just before he was executed, he sent her a note, signing it "from your Valentine."

The first Valentine's card is attributed to an imprisoned 15th century duke who fought his lonely confinement by writing romantic verses for his wife.

By the 16th century, written valentines were a hit. They alarmed St. Francis de Sales, who fearing for the souls of his English flock, sermonized against such writings.

But that didn't stop the greeting card industry which really took off with the advent of the modern postal service.

Until the mid-1800s, the average person couldn't afford to send mail. Even worse, the postman demanded payment from the recipient, not the sender of the letter.

Imagine getting a love letter with postage due. It was no way to play Cupid.

Today, Valentine's Day involves more than soft sentiments. It involves all those heart-shaped boxes of chocolate that are a dieter's nightmare.

While Becca and Bailey view it largely as a treat day, it's more than that for their parents.

Joni and I were married 23 years ago on Valentine's Day.

Thanks to Hallmark, I've never missed an anniversary.

Joni and I both love greeting cards. They last longer than flowers and they don't need water.

There's no shortage of store-bought "I love you" cards.

But as parents, the cards we love the best are the ones crafted in red construction paper and crayons by our children -- the ones where the words run together and downhill, and include cut-out red and white hearts.

Children know how to grab the heart better than Cupid.

The trick, kids will tell you, is to use a lot of glue.

It doesn't hurt a marriage to have plenty of glue, a box of chocolates and some sentimental greetings.

But for parents, there's no Valentine quite like a hug from your children even if they do have chocolate on their hands.

Don't worry. The Valentine's Day candy doesn't last forever.

It will be replaced soon enough with chocolate Easter bunnies.

Call me a sentimental fool, but I prefer candy Kisses, family hugs and a house full of true bliss on Valentine's Day.

No doubt, there's a greeting card for that too -- provided Cassie, our pet canine, doesn't chew it up.

Mark Bliss is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.