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Love and Romance!  It’s hard not to get swept away on Valentine’s Day with all the red hearts, chocolates, and flowers around Toronto this week before we celebrate Cupid.  Music, flowers and sipping champagne with chocolate-dipped-strawberries would set the typical heart aflutter—except perhaps the parents of a toddler with a second child on the way.

Atelier Kids Early Learning & Care, your Reggio-inspired daycare in Toronto, knows that romance and red hearts may not be on your agenda this week but we encourage you: don’t miss out on this day!  Celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Parenting will definitely get your heart racing some days,  but you’re also a partner in this relationship that developed a starring role as a parent. Remember the romance that brought the two of you together?  Do those romantic memories need a little revisiting, so that your relationship can once again take centre stage?

• Remember when s/he made you feel nervously excited to be together? Get a sitter and go to one of your favourite dating spots and reminisce about your early dating days!
• Go on a date. Absolutely cannot get out of the house? Have a lunch date with sparkling wine and your favourite nibbles, like the special cheese from your favourite Bloor West market; or watch a movie together with your favourite carry-out after the baby’s bedtime. Try really hard to stay awake!
• Write a love note. When was the last time you actually wrote to each other and it wasn’t a text, an email, or a grocery list.
• Ask questions. Want to include the kids in your Valentine celebration? Draft a love letter to your spouse with the help of your child.  Ask questions.  “How do you feel when Mommy smiles or laughs?”…”Why are Daddy’s hugs so special?” And add your own answers to complete the questions that will paint a lovely picture of your partner with answers s/he may not have heard in a while or even known you felt.

Showing love, kindness, and care for your partner is important for your child to see, and can strengthen the bond between parent and child, too.  Observing first-hand the love you feel for your partner will promote a sense of family unity.  A strong family support system, in turn, encourages a strong sense of self within your child.  Confident behaviour, positive coping mechanisms, and the comfort to push beyond boundaries to grow and learn without fear of failure can be attributed to positive relationships within the family.

Atelier Kids daycare in Toronto knows how to embrace Reggio in all aspects of family life.  After all, parents provide the utmost care of children and are respected by our instructors as the child’s first teacher.  Reggio parent involvement bridges the gap between daycare and home, and is key to encouraging well-rounded learning and positive child development.

Setting the bar at a realistic height is important, though.   Celebrating the romantic side of your relationship should be a collection of thoughtful but simple, love-filled ideas to help your partner feel special.  Refrain from turning it into an expensive, pressure-filled holiday project.  Together with your partner, take this one special day to appreciate your love and gratitude toward each other.

Happy Valentine’s Day from Atelier Kids Early Learning & Care—your Reggio-inspired Toronto daycare.

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