Here at Ripple Effect Gifts we are not ashamed to admit we are dyed in the wool romantics. We are absolute suckers for romantic movies, watching the sun set over the ocean and texting “I love you” messages.

Before you get the wrong idea, let’s make sure we are on the same page here. These are things we like to share with our partners, not with our colleagues at Ripple Effect Gifts. Although we pride ourselves on our friendly work place culture, we are also big on boundaries.

As fans of Valentine’s Day, we love putting together the hearts, candles, chocolates and pamper products to make our gorgeous hampers. But we feel that Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be restricted to gestures of romantic love. Psychologists believe that there are 7 types of love and we believe that most powerful love is between a parent and child. But, babies look like their fathers at birth so Dad is more likely to protect them and less likely to eat them. So parental love has its downside too.

If your children haven’t been Daddy’s lunch, then why not think about using Valentine’s Day as a way of teaching them about the true meaning of love. And then carry that forward into their everyday life. As humans we are all connected, not just to other humans, but to all living creatures. Being kind to others with no expectation of reward is a valuable lesson for all of us to learn – or to remember and adds meaning to our lives. There is a growing movement to spend Christmas Day as a family, serving food at a homeless shelter. This is of course a noble thing to do, but if that ethos is not embedded in daily life, then it becomes an empty gesture.

We can teach our children to be aware of the needs of others and to offer assistance when it is appropriate.

But……… not every old lady wants to be helped across the road. Particularly is she had no intention of crossing the road. However, the elderly person in the supermarket carpark who is struggling to return their trolley would probably appreciate the offer of some help. And a few, kind words of “been there, done that and it gets better” to the harassed mum of a trantruming child, could make a positive difference in her life. But, if you see her on the phone and putting triple-super-sized hot dog rolls in her trolley, then call social services, because Daddy is angry and waiting for his lunch.