As many people know, February is the month of love. This is mainly having to do with with the significance of having romantic, passionate or platonic love for a person, place or thing. February is well known for acknowledging one’s love for another and by showing one’s remarkable love through Valentine’s day. Although love can be deceiving, as the great Dalai Lama XIV once said, “Love is the absence of judgement.” There is a warm feeling of love inside one’s heart that pumps up the month of February. It occurs mainly around Valentine’s day, a time when people show feelings of love, affection and friendship. It is celebrated on Feb. 14 each year and is well-known worldwide.

However, romantic love is not the only kind that people crave.  Love begins to develop at a young age, love is key for the developing brains of children. Touch is vital for growing infants, this nurturing helps their brain build a connection with human contacts. According to Maia Szalavitz’ article “ Touching Empathy” researchers have discovered how some orphanages had an infant mortality rate of around 30-40%.

An orphanage is a institution for the care and education for children that have been permanently abandoned or whose parents have died. As mentioned in the article The Orphanage Problem,  http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/  an Austrian psychoanalyst and physician Rene Spitz proposed a theory. He supposed that infants in such conditions often suffered from lack of love. Many children would be missing the important parental relationships, which was hurting or even killing the children.  Infants that were raised in orphanages experienced lack of love. Due to the overpopulation of babies coming in,  the staff cannot manage to offer each one individual attention and love. This neglect at such a young age often causes them to fear touch and they will try to avoid it as much as possible as they grow up. Children who do not receive repeated and loving contact with the same  people, have the potential of simply not being able to make the proper connections with other individuals. Especially later in their life, these children may have a difficult time when making relationships for most of one’s social developments occur within their first years of life. Thankfully, many children that are raised in orphanages are placed in loving homes, and much of this damage can be reversed.

Many people around the world celebrate Valentine’s Day by showing appreciation for the people they love or adore. Some of the ways they celebrate are to take their loved ones out for a romantic dinner. On the other hand, others may choose this day as the day to propose or get married. Many people give greeting cards, chocolates, jewelry or flowers, especially roses of red, pink and white to their loved ones.

A common tradition in elementary days would be that children would  pass out valentines throughout their classroom to each one of their classmates. The children have to make the best valentine’s mailbox, pick out the best cards and treat to give, and at the end of the day each child is guaranteed not just one card, but around 20 to 30 cards. Another common tradition is asking someone, “Will you be my valentine?” To be a valentine is to be a sweetheart. It is the act of asking someone, such as a significant other or friend, to be your sweetheart for that day. Look at a few ideas for how to celebrate and decorate for Valentine’s day on the Valentines board. Follow the OHS Magnet Pinterest account https://www.pinterest.com/ohsmagnet