Ban on Valentine's Day Cards in School Killjoy or Forward Thinking?

A rather topical piece caught my eye on the BBC news website today on Valentine's cards being banned at a primary school in Weston-Super-Mare.

Pupils at the Ashcombe Primary School have been prevented from exchanging cards in time for the big day on Sunday for fear that some puils who not receive any are " not emotionally mature enough to cope" - the headteacher's words, not mine.

The Head, Peter Turner, went on to say: "Children should wait until they are mature enough emotionally and socially to understand the commitment of having a boyfriend or girlfriend."

This, of course, nearly made me spit out my Lemsip on to the computer. Children are not nearly emotionally and socially mature to face up to most things throughout their lives, they have to learn to accept their actions and feelings that they experience as they grow up. It was like the conker being banned from the playground, shrouded in the health & safety tag. Most schools banned it because pupils didn't like losing. Even at school sports day the competitive element has been taken away so that children will not feel like they have failed at something.

For children to experience the feeling of rejection just because another 7 year old does not like them back is healthy. The sooner they experience the feeling and move on, they are better equiped at dealing with the situation should it happen again. I believe not getting a card on the day is - as my dad would say - character building. After all, it is a bit of card forced upon us by companies trying to make money out of people showing their true love on February 14th every year. Surely we should tell kids that if someone really means so much to them, they should just let them know?

Let's face it, no one is really all that emotionally and socially mature when it comes to feeling left out on Valentine's Day as they are made to feel inadequate by the advertising on the TV. I would rather not get a card than being faced with the anonymous one sent to me one year when I was at university. I was freaked out as firstly, how did they know my address including postcode? Secondly, why go through the effort of purchasing a stamp and posting it? Thirdly, if you wished to stay anonymous why delete me from Facebook and start a rumour about me just because I didn't realise you 'like me'?

Personally I think the Valentine's cards sent at school signify what the day is about, and the children will be more able to handle the day without a card or with rejection than the psycho of Kingston was. I sometimes believe that the adults in authority underestimate children in this country.