Kindred Spirits

I was in New York all week last week for American International Toy Fair. Like any good dad does when he's gone for that long, I went in search of souvenirs for my little ladies, especially since I would be gone on Valentine's Day. Though I was looking for souvenirs, I ended up finding an unexpected community with kindred spirits.

I went to the American Girl Place at Rockefeller Center -- a bastion of commercialism and homage to American style and history. From overpriced doll clothing to a cafe and theater, the place is a multi-floor wonderland for any little girl...and a vexing disaster for most dads.

Much to my humor as I was browsing, I encountered no fewer that two dozen other men, undoubtedly on business trips and also in search of that perfect gift to take home. We all looked a little dazed and confused, some overwhelmed, some downright pissed. And the best were two, on two separate floors, who were on their mobiles saying "What does she look like? What's her name? Elizabeth? The one in the pink dress or the blue one?" I couldn't help but chuckle at the tought of mom on the other end trying to guide dad to make the right choice, and I was thankful Mom and Progress and I had been through the catalog before I left home, so I had the visuals locked in memory.

$167 later (holy moley), I ended up with two little doll outfits for Valentine's Day gifts, plus a slew of others to save for upcoming holidays and birthdays.

I have to say the sore help were friendly and accommodating, and had I had my ladies on my arm, we would have had a blast. So I'm looking forward to loading them into the car this spring to drive in and check it out.

Trick or Treat, I Love You

Ummm...when did Valentine's Day become mini Halloween? I have been away all week on business, and I came home to find a candy explosion -- as if a pinata had been whacked and cracked all over our kitchen.

Apparently, kids today not only exchange Valentine's cards, but attach everything from candy bars to pencils to stickers to lollipops and everything in between. What gives?

Whatever happened to the days of pasting heart shaped doilies to construction paper cut-ups of hearts? In my day, nothing said "Be mine" like a big hunk of dried gluestick seeping out from the edge of a doubled-up heart that we squeezed into the top slot of a foil wrapped carboard box at the front of the classroom.

In the case of both of my girls, many kids didn't even write their own love notes -- the tos: and froms: neatly handwritten by Mom with L-O-V-E. I was astonished to find even one parent had typed labels to put onto the little plastic baggie full of Valentine's favors and treats -- perhaps so all the rest of us parents would see who it was from and feel one-upped.

Come on. Seriously. I must have missed it when Martha Stewart moved in and taught everyone in our town to micromanage a simple classroom Valentine exchange. One could say it's a sweet gesture, but one could also argue we're teaching our kids that a simple "I HEART U" isn't enough -- layer on the sweets and treats and gifts and goodies if you really want to say "LUV U LOTS." If it weren't for school vacation week, we might see some small trinkets coming home for President's Day on Monday, or maybe gold coins and baggies of Lucky Charms to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

What has happened to old fashioned creativity? When the time and elbow grease invested in making or writing out Valentines was the best way to show a little LUV? Fortunately, our countertop was laden with homemade love letters and Valentine pictures, and our girls wrote their own Valentines out for their friends, but apparently that makes us out of the loop.