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8 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • February 2015 letter to the readers PRODUCTION PUBLISHER Leigh Anne Van Doren Tabitha & Jamie Nelle's mom EDITOR-AT-LARGE Chris Jones Jordan, Quincy & Hayden's dad OPERATIONS & MARKETING Heidi DiEugenio, President, HD Solutions Duke & Dane's mom OFFICE MANAGER & EVENT PLANNING Stephanie Maldonado; Julia, Tyler & Aiden's mom ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES Sheila Giscard; Jack's mom Jodi Urquhart; Noah & Carly's mom DESIGN & PRODUCTION Cheryl Carter, President, Carter Creations Alex, Kate & Jackie's mom WEBMASTER Karen Charney Joshua & Spencer's mom CALENDAR EDITOR Leigha Pecher Jake & Luke's mom CIRCULATION Krista Starosta Nick, Andrew, Kaylin & Kensington's mom COMMUNITY BLOGS Mary Becelia Katherine Laura & Robert Joseph's mom FACEBOOK COMMUNITY Pamela Quinones: Corinn, Michael, Isabella & Dalton TWITTER, INSTAGRAM & PINTEREST COMMUNITY MANAGER Brenda Sapanghila: Archer & Maddox's mom parent fredericksburg & family Entrepreneur of the Year PROUD FOUNDING MEMBER ADVERTISING PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL adsales@fredericksburgparent.net CALENDAR & RESOURCE REQUESTS E-MAIL calendar@fredericksburgparent.net E-MAIL resources@fredericksburgparent.net EDITORIAL PHONE 540/374-1495 E-MAIL editor@fredericksburgparent.net publisher@fredericksburgparent.net SNAIL MAIL P.O. Box 7884, Fred'bg, VA 22404 www.fredericksburgparent.net The publishers reserve the right to reject any advertisement, editorial or listing that does not meet the publication's stan- dards. No part of this magazine may be reproduced with out permission. Listing and advertising rates are available upon request. Every effort has been made to assure the accuracy of the information contained herein, however, the publisher cannot guarantee such accuracy. Listings and advertisements are subject to typographical errors, ommissions and/or change without notice. For terms and condi- tions please visit our website at www.fredericksburgparent.net © Copyright 2015 Nurture, Inc. All rights reserved. M en are trained to dread Valentine's Day. We view it as sort of a second Christmas for women. In our bravado, we men have the audacity to say to our wives: • Here's a card and some flowers. It's the thought that counts. • Valentine's Day is so commercialized. Why do we need one day to remind you that I love you? • If this holiday is about love, why don't you get me something, too? I admit, I drank the Kool-Aid. I've made the excuses to not partici- pate in Valentine's Day. As recently as last year, I fought the desire to feed in to the hype. Sure, we dined out, but I made it seem like normal date night. Why should I let the world tell me how to express love to my wife? She knows that I love her, I rationalized. Then something changed one evening. I stopped looking at my wife for a second and started observing her. I watched her plan meals in her spiral notebook, scour the inter- net to make family calendars packed with fun field trips for the sum- mer, cuddle with the children on the couch watching cartoons that she didn't care about, and listen to them talk about games she didn't understand. I felt ashamed of my diamond-studded heart. There was my bride — the mother of a son she bore me and one she inherited and loves as her own — being the embodiment of love. I felt like a fool. I was a fool. Sure, I express my love on a daily basis in word and action and I give her gifts sporadically throughout the year, but is it really too much for me to honor her on one day set aside to celebrate my love for her? Is my pride so thick? The problem I discovered was that I hated the expectation. Hated it, guys. But my wife expects to be showered with adoration on Valentine's Day. She expects to taken out to a nice restaurant and have my love displayed publicly. She expects to have photos to post of my gifts, our date and us displaying our love for one another. She expects it and she deserves it. Here's what I learned and what I'll pass on to my fellow dads and husbands: Whatever actions or inactions we take on Valentine's Day she sees as a full-blown expression of our love for her. It's that spe- cial to her. It's the Super Bowl of romance. The rest of the year — much like a sports season — doesn't matter once you get to the big game, and this is the big one, guys. Either we're her MVP or we have to wait 364 more days for another shot at it. The choice is ours. Let's play to win. She expects us to. Chris Jones is the editor-at-large of Fredericksburg Parent. He's learning that loving the things his wife loves strengthens their bond. BY CHRIS JONES The en are trained to dread of Romance