Kathy Hanrahan: Ghosts of Valentine's Day past
Valentine birthdays were the worst when I was single. I felt extra lonely going out to dinner with my parents and brother and seeing all the couples out for romantic dates.
Posted — Updated
My birthday is on Valentine's Day. I share it with my brother, who was born 10 years before me. My parents didn't plan our birthdays to be like this and it is always a great conversation piece!
Having a birthday on Valentine's Day is a blessing and a curse.
The good stuff: People remember my birthday and I get extra presents.
The bad stuff: Everyone goes out on my birthday, so it's hard to get a reservation anywhere and it's crowded, etc.
Valentine birthdays were the worst when I was single. I felt extra lonely going out to dinner with my parents and brother and seeing all the couples out for romantic dates.
So if you have a teen or young adult who is single this year, make sure they know that they aren't alone in their awkwardness on Valentine's Day!
Here are my memories of Valentine's Day past:
- 16 or 17th birthday - I forget which birthday it was because I've been trying to block this one out of my memory! My high school boyfriend bought me very inappropriate underwear that he said he picked out with his mom! I was very confused and embarrassed because I wanted no part of this bag of undies! We weren't that far along in the relationship to even consider getting physical like that. He gave me the gift in front of my entire family, so I had to explain to my grandma and other family why I threw the bag in the garbage can at the restaurant!! Needless to say, we broke up!
- 18th birthday - I was single and the guy I was crushing on had a girlfriend. When he heard I didn't have birthday plans, he invited me to go on their Valentine's Day date to McDonald's and the movies. We saw "She's All That" and he bought my ticket. He also paid for my cheeseburger after the movie. We had been friends for years and I had crushed on him for about that long! It was awkward to be invited on their date but at least I wasn't alone?? (Flashforward: He is now married to someone who isn't that girl from the movie date. They have cute kids and we stay in touch!)
- 19th birthday - This is a good one. I had started dating this guy in college. I thought he was so cool. He had spiky hair and wore black silk pajamas to class. He drank coffee and thought the "Matrix" was real. He got me hooked on coffee. We started casually hanging out and on Valentine's Day he took me on a date to his favorite Chinese restaurant. He got me roses and we stayed up all night talking. He said he had taken a vow in his church not to date anyone for a year. Despite that, he kissed me. Even though I had a good Valentine's Day, a few weeks later he dumped me after he told me that his best friend at church said I was a "tool of the devil." We do not stay in touch, but I did see him years later at a restaurant and he stared at me from across the room like I was a ghost!! Maybe he thought the devil sent me??
- 20th birthday - Single! My date stood me up. Said he'd bring dinner to my work and never showed up!
- 21st birthday - Single again! Spent the evening with friends eating pizza at my apartment. The guy who I had a crush on forgot to get me a present. He caught a ride with my friend, who took one look at his lack of gift and drove him to the nearest store and helped him pick out a bear for me. She wasn't letting him let me down! We all went out to a nearby bar for drinks and my crush spent the entire night dancing with someone else and ignoring me. He made a pass at one of my friends! I got the hint, he wasn't into me. When things didn't work out with anyone else, he tried to kiss me! I turned him down.
When I met my now-husband, it was just after my 23rd birthday. He's made every birthday since fantastic!
The constant in all of the above stories is that my friends and family were always there for me on my birthday. I could always count on a friend to bake me a cake or do something nice. Even when I got stood up on my 20th birthday, I ended up going out with friends to a comedy show.
So if you have that single friend who is sick of all of this Valentine's Day stuff, make sure to plan something fun with them. Just don't invite them on your movie date with your significant other. And if you do, buy them a much fancier dinner than McDonald's! At least upgrade to Char-Grill!
Related Topics
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
