As a child, my father gave me a gift wrapped in red paper on Valentine's Day. He told me years later that it was his responsibility to spoil me until I had a partner to do just that. I still remember the gesture more than what was under the wrapping paper. While I believe that feeling of being loved unconditionally by a parent is still so important for today's children, there's another vital lesson we can teach this Valentine's Day: How to learn to love one another.

That's not to say our children should love the child who sits beside them at school. But in a world scarred by so much divisiveness, our children must learn to accept the differences surrounding them. Those who differ from us in religion, culture, race, sexual orientation?or in any way? should be considered our equals. Valentine's Day is the perfect time to remind our children that diversity is beautiful.
At the end of the 5th century, Pope Gelasius declared Valentine's Day a religious celebration. Eventually, it was combined with Lupercalia, an ancient Roman holiday celebrating fertility through a ritual in which men and women were paired off by choosing names from a jar?historians believe this led to Valentine's Day being all about love.
Why we need lessons of love for others this Valentine's Day
In many classrooms on February 14th, you'll find walls decorated in red with hearts hanging from the ceiling. Handmade mailboxes decorated in glitter are filled with postcards exuding kindness and friendship. W...