Happy Birthday to Me!
Posted by Kristin DeLoach in April 29th 2008
Reading posts about the “state of kid parties” like this and this have really resonated with me for a couple of reasons, including that I guess that I’m a bit of a traditionalist and growing up, my family’s traditions had a level of simplicity to them. Traditions like getting to choose what you wanted for your birthday dinner, what kind of cake you wanted (Duncan Hines Strawberry, please) and the simple joy of waking up to a greeting of streamers and balloons hung in the kitchen. With Punkin’ Bear facing the big 0-3 in just a couple of weeks and this being the first birthday where she actually understands the concept well enough to look forward to it instead of just having presents “randomly” given to her one day, it’s amazing how simplicity seems to be exactly what she wants.
How do I know this? Because Punkin’ has been dropping hints for the past 3 weeks about what she wants for her birthday and her birthday party. Sorry did I say hints? Actually, I guess to clarify, I should say she has been making requests – given in the form of the pretend birthday that we’ve celebrated every day for the last 3 weeks. Each day, Punkin’ focuses on a new, imaginative part of her big day. One day it’s the cake she wants, the next day the gifts, followed by who will be at her party, what type of decorations will be included and more. She’s not asking for a trip to Disney World or for a trip to the spa for all of her friends (and, yes, I do know of a family who arranged for manicures, pedicures and hair styling for 20+ three-year-olds!). She’s just looking forward to the good ol’ fashioned fun like balloons, party hats, a birthday cake with “extra sprinkles” on it and to have Nana, Pop-Pop, Grandma, Grandpa and her cousins there to celebrate with her.
Seeing her enthusiasm, imagination and the pure innocence she speaks with when talking about how much she can’t wait for her birthday makes me as excited about the big day as she is. Now if only I can figure out where to find the astronaut suit she’s been asking for…
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Yey!
And you are ‘in style’ too… believe it or not I’ve heard that ‘old fashioned’ bday parties are coming back… even for older kids (i mean 4,5,6 yr olds)-
pin the tail on the donkey, a treasure hunt, ice cream and cake- done!
Wait a minute- maybe you’re the one setting the trend