In grade school, I couldn't think of a day I looked forward to more than February 14th: Valentine's Day. It felt like an in-class Halloween or Christmas as we handed each other small cards with cartoon characters and superheroes imprinted on them, typically containing a cheesy greeting or compliment, and accompanied by a piece of candy. As commercial as it seems, I liked how inclusive the festivities were. At the store, a box usually contained twenty-six cards, which is the average class size for the majority of elementary schools in the United States. Everyone received a card. Once I got to middle school, however, many things changed.

For starters, there was no rule against not giving something to everyone--which made a lot of sense, considering that I had seven classes of about twenty-six students each. The real game-changer, however, was hormones. Oh, middle school: the looming of puberty and pre-teen moodiness. It's also the time when many young people start "dating." In my opinion, this is the point where the innocence of the holiday in the school setting was lost for me. This wasn't due to the fact that I stopped receiving Valentine's cards from my classmates, but that I witnessed a transformation in the way that a lot of my friends started acting. Being "cool" and looking "attractive" took priority over basic human kindness. It was the transitional period from the touching Valentine's Day episode of the Simpson's, "I Love Lisa," to Fifty Shades of Grey.

In fact, when I got to high school, I remember Fifty Shades of Grey being the "hot" read. Two or three girls in a single class would have it out; their eyes glued to the page. While I have no issue with someone getting pleasure out of reading, I could never understand what the audience of FSOG desired so much from the novel. Steamy sexual fantasies aside, the core relationship between Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele is one built off of manipulation and deceit. Call me an old-school romantic, but I always went the route of writing poetry or giving flowers to a girl I admired. Alas, I'm no Christian Grey, and I didn't get many dates in high school.

Just recently, however, I came to a revelation. Instead of bending over backwards to impress a girl that never gave me the time of day, why didn't I put that effort into doing something truly amazing for my parents? After all, they've always given me a card on Valentine's Day. Not just in grade school, but in middle school and high school as well. Even now, as a college student, they give me cards. Since I won't have the fortune of spending the holiday with my parents this year--being away at college and all--I dedicate this article to them. They are the most supportive and loving people in the world. I hope this makes their day.

Regardless of how different Valentine's Day feels for me now compared to my grade school years, the love I have for my family and close friends remains the same. Rather than getting down for not having a significant other to spend the holiday with, I intend to make the day better for someone else I care about. Whether that means spending time with a friend who also experiences loneliness, or calling a family member I haven't talked to in years, I will make being kind my top priority this February 14th, and every day that follows it. Spread the love, and not just the romantic kind.