Parents shocked by 'R-rated' Valentines for kids

Who said only adults could be cynical about Valentine's Day?

This year, grade schoolers had the opportunity to tell their classmates, "We'll be the kind of friends who throw up a little every time we see each other," with the help of a series of Valentine's cards sold in schools across the country by Scholastic Canada.

But the company announced yesterday it has stopped selling the cards in its flyer in the wake of concerns from parents and schools.

The children's book company had been selling It's Happy Bunny: I Heart Me Valentines, a set of 32 cards featuring dark humour and jokes that mock love, in its flyer, which is distributed to elementary and middle schools. Other messages included, "When you think back on what we had, I hope that you'll be: kind; happy; (or) floating face down in a river."

Ms. Dale said she ordered the cards from a flyer that her daughter, Emily, brought home from school and had no idea they would contain such dark humour.
 
"I just assumed that anything she could order in that book order was all right. I didn't know I had to look for PG- or R-rated."
 
After receiving complaints from Ms. Dale and others, Scholastic decided to stop selling the cards.