When’s My Next Birthday?

Birthday parties are festive, entertaining, expensive and memorable. Sometimes simple parties are better than any elaborate ones.  We celebrate from age one all the way through to 100 (if we make it that long).  We enjoy cake, camaraderie, and the simple fact everyone there cares for us and wants to wish us well on our special day.  As a young girl I don’t recall many elaborate birthday parties. My parents threw me a few “friends’ parties” growing up, but the rest were just family oriented and that was fine by me.  I know it’s not PC today, but I was happy back then to go to McDonald’s on my birthday and get a Happy Meal.  Happy Meals were a rare and favorite treat of mine growing up. I didn’t need anything else.  My mother didn’t play favorites either.  My sisters and I were okay with our birthday celebrations.

In our first year of marriage my husband and I started to notice large plastic edifices behind people’s homes. We’d see air-blown castles, race cars or just about anything you can imagine for a child to hop in or bounce on.  We’d reflect how it was a waste of money.  These were just children, some the age of 2, what could they remember of this shindig?  Then of course we had our own children and everything that we saw and didn’t approve of before, changed.  We succumbed like everyone else.  We rented bounces for our kids and invited 10 of their closest friends.  We played make believe for our little Diva and booked a Dress-Up Party at a shop, and a swimming party for my son with pizza afterwards.  These were not your every day, cake party that I had when I was younger.  Plus, we aren’t alone. My children are fortunate to be invited to great parties as well. Laser Tag, Skating rinks, karate classes are just a few examples of the cool events they have attended in the past, in honor of their friends’ birthdays.

Unfortunately, my children are creatures of habit.  I know on our ride home from any of their friends’ events I’ll get the comment, “When’s my birthday again?”  To which I reply that their birthday isn’t for a few more months. My children assume that every party they’ve left will inevitably be exactly like their future celebration.  I remind them their birthdays are several months away to discuss themes and venues.  I am met with stubbornness.  They’ve had so much fun at the skating rink or bounce arena they can’t wait to do the same thing for their special day.  I’ve reminded them of the different venues they wanted in the past and I hear the dreaded, “You never do anything fun. Our birthdays are boring!”  I have explained to my two that when my husband and I were younger there weren’t big splashes for parties.  The neighborhood kids possibly came to your backyard and or it was your family…that’s it. I am looked upon like I have two heads.   I know I just put them through the, “In my day…” speech but honestly what could I do?  How could our parties be boring? What type of memories do my children have?  My husband and I have done our best for our kids.  However, my kids have moved on to a bigger challenge I struggle with.  The dreaded, “What’s going inside the goodie bags your giving out for our birthday party?”  Dear God, how’d goodie bags start and why am I slave to them?  Not only do I become obsessed with my children’s birthday parties for months prior to the actual date, but I go mad thinking of what to put in those stinking goodie bags.  We’ve all been there.  I know I am not alone.  What’s too much and what’s too little? Candy, toys, TVs?  This isn’t the Emmy’s where you get gifts for attending the awards show.  I never know where to start.  When did parents introduce the “goodie bag” and why do I fixate on it as much as the party?  My children expect them after a friend’s bash.  That’s not how I raised my kids and frankly I say it’s got to stop.  Too much stress on us parents if you ask me.  But like the sucker I am, I will continue this ritual!

 My husband’s birthday is this summer. I think I’ll take the family to McDonalds and show the kids a birthday party for daddy “old school style”. No goodie bag, no roller-skating-horse circus to entertain everyone.  Just a couple of Happy Meals and I’ll be good to go…I mean they’ll be good to go.