I’d like to thank my mother for being a room mother at every class party I ever had.

She was at every class party my brother ever had too. I remember when I was in second grade, my old first grade teacher couldn’t find a room mom to do her party — so she asked my mom.

I’m sure I have never thanked my mom for doing this before, so better several decades late than never. Thanks Mom!

I know there are several moms out there with teenagers who feel unappreciated right now, so if you were a room mom, there is still hope that your kids will appreciate you for what you did … someday. I know, in addressing a large group of teenagers in a Carthage class a while back, I asked for hands of kids whose parents who had been active as a room parents. They were honestly proud to raise their hands.

I never remember dads showing up when I was a kid to room parties, but times are changing and kudos to the dads who show up.

I don’t think I have missed a single room party for either of my kids since my oldest, Paige, started preschool. For a few years, when I had both girls in elementary school, that meant some creative sprinting between parties.

I am not going to lie and say that I look forward to these with the creative zest that some do. It usually meant leaving work and driving at top speed to be there, but as I look at a sophomore in high school whose school party days are over, and a fifth grader with one year after this left of parties, I am glad I was there for them, even though I won’t probably cry at the last one.

Being there for your kids and being interested speaks volumes to them. I would encourage parents, for at least one party a year, to be there and show your child you are interested in her and you want to share these times with her.

I know some people have work schedules that aren’t flexible, so if you absolutely never can go, send a bag of candy and the evening after the party ask your child how things went.

I know a lot of teachers and they could not pull off good parties, making good memories, without parent volunteers. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, I decided to share a few of my favorite party ideas and suggestions for those parents signed up to help with parties.

* Just a thought: Over the years I have seen very few crafts be successful. Kids have to have structure all day in school. This is their “party time,” so really evaluate this one. If you want a creative activity, I have found most kids like decorating a cookie.

* Take an old favorite and put a twist on it, such as Valentine’s Pictionary. This same twist can be done with charades. Valentine’s Day Simon Says just substitutes the name Cupid for Simon. Musical chairs can be played to themed music, or instead of getting on a chair, you can have kids find a heart on the floor to stand on when the music stops and take one away after each turn.

* Instead of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, pin a heart on a cupid.

* Most kids love active games. If you check with the teacher ahead of time and make sure it is a class that can handle the excitement, try bowling, using pins of used 2-liter bottles decorated with hearts. Hold relay races where you give the kids spoons and they have to pass off and carry conversation hearts to their teammates. Bean bag tosses, where you have to throw a heart-shaped bean bag through a heart hole in a box, are simple and fun.

I have also seen kids love balloon races where they have two lines and have to walk with the balloon between their legs to the end of the line then pop it by sitting on it. It is harder than it sounds.

* Less active but fun ideas could include bingo, where you use conversation hearts to cover up letters, and you can use a word like HEART instead of Bingo. Also, if there are 20 kids in the class, cut up 10 hearts into two jagged puzzle pieces. Pass them out and have the kids find who they match up with. Another idea is to have a jar with candy hearts or Hershey’s Kisses and have each kid write down his or her guess of how many pieces are in the jar, and let the winner keep the jar.

Most importantly, just have fun with the kids. To all those parents out there who do this for their kids: You are awesome!

Jane Drummond is a parent educator for the Carthage School District. Contact her at janedrummond@mchsi.com.