How do you feel about Valentine’s Day? Do you love it? Hate it? Usually forget it exists?
If you don’t have a romantic partner to celebrate with, does Valentine’s Day feel less meaningful or relevant to you? Have you ever considered using the holiday to celebrate all the different kinds of love in your life?
In “How Not to Be Cynical About Valentine’s Day,” published on Feb. 14, 2025, Sadiba Hasan writes about how some single people are redefining what the holiday stands for:
Not all singles spend Valentine’s Day in despair while scrolling through social media posts of couples showering each other with roses and affection. While television and films often depict the holiday as a dreaded day for some of the uncoupled, others have embraced the day with hopefulness about future romantic prospects, while also celebrating other forms of love in their life.
Cahleb Derry has spent only one Valentine’s Day with a romantic partner, and he has naturally dissociated the holiday from its romantic associations.
“I think it’s so important to ‘date’ your friends,” said Mr. Derry, 26. For Mr. Derry, a marketing manager and music curator in Brooklyn, Valentine’s Day is about “creating time to be with people I love, and it can be agnostic to romance. It can be platonic. It can be familial.” He plans to meet friends throughout the weekend for dinners and parties. And every year, his mother sends him a warm text message.
Cynthia Tavard has never been in a romantic relationship, but her favorite Valentine’s Day tradition is to spend the day watching romantic comedies with friends and family while snacking on chocolate-covered strawberries.
Ms. Tavard, a 24-year-old sales associate at a merchandise store in Union City, N.J., said that during this time of year, she sees the barrage of items marketed toward couples, including his-and-hers T-shirts. She said she rejects the commodification of love, but she embraces the celebration of it.
Students, read the entire article and then tell us:
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What are your thoughts on celebrating more than just romantic love on Valentine’s Day? Have you ever taken this approach? Should we all be considering the different types of love in our lives more often?
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What love in your life — whether for your family, a friend, a romantic partner, a pet or anyone else — are you grateful for? What do you appreciate most about this relationship? How might you celebrate it this Valentine’s Day?
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How do you usually spend Valentine’s Day? Do you have any rituals or traditions like exchanging gifts, watching romantic comedies or going to parties with friends? Are there any ideas from the article that you’d like to try?
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Are you a hopeful romantic, a love cynic or something in between? Have you ever been in a romantic relationship? If not, do you hope to be one day?
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“The journey to being optimistic about love without depending on the validation of a romantic partner, particularly for those who have been unlucky with dating, begins with developing a loving relationship with self,” Ms. Hasan writes. How would you describe your relationship with yourself? In what ways could it be more loving?
Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.
Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.
Natalie Proulx is an editor at The Learning Network, a Times free teaching resource.
The post What Love in Your Life Are You Grateful For? appeared first on New York Times.
