Learner Dad: No offence to our lovely kids, but we need to get away from them

Pat Fitzpatrick says we should make Valentine’s Day a moveable feast, where the only rule is that each partner gets to choose one surprise Romance Day in every calendar year.

Pat Fitzpatrick can still remember the warm breeze as he and his wife walked along the streets of Palma, Majorca. Picture: iStock 

Back in December, public health expert Gabriel Scally suggested we should postpone our Christmas family get-together until the summer solstice in June. They could almost hear us laughing at him on the moon. No one is laughing now. And, on that note, I think we should postpone Valentine's Day until October.

I was never much of a fan of Valentine's Day, but I can see why it normally does a job for couples in mid February. (Not to mention the retailers who ordered too many Ferrero Rocher for Christmas.) I think we tend to neglect our relationships in January. The weather wouldn’t exactly tempt you outside for date night; there’s a good chance that things got a bit tense over Christmas, because you can’t choose your family, so it’s good to take some time off in the New Year. Then Valentine's Day and spring come along and it’s time to start looking after your relationship again. It’s a great way to jump-start things, as long as that means leaving the house.