Why not celebrate in a big way? Birthdays only come around once a year. I don't generally like to spoil my children and I admit it, I love parties.
My daughter has always been in small classes at school and she gets along well with everyone. When we talked about her birthday party in kindergarten I thought about my own childhood memories.
In a time when photographs were taken only of marvellous natural beauty and very special occasions, my parents always brought out the carefully stored camera at birthdays. The snapshots help me to remember my first friends and my gawkiest stages.
These days, with cameras in everyone's pockets, at all times, every moment can be captured and shared. My children will have more pictures to aid their memories.
My own birthday parties were small with a beautiful cake decorated by my mother. I try to make my children's birthdays special by preparing their favourite foods and letting them pick a special activity. I also love to entertain and am happy to welcome my children's friends into our home.
When she told me who she wanted to invite when she was in kindergarten all I could imagine was her already full bedroom packed even more tightly with piles of crumpled paper and stacks of dolls and books. She had so many toys already we made a deal we've agreed upon every year since. She is allowed to invite the whole classon the condition they don't bring her agift.I do let them bring a small gift for $5 or less but we play a gift exchange game where every child also takes a gift home.
My daughter turned 10 this week andI enjoy seeing her young friends growing up and the way they have accepted this as a special tradition in our home. Before the party I have the whole group walk home from school together. It solves the problem of multiple trips in a vehicle across town and it allows the group to walk the same path my children walk to school every day.
They are able to see the differences and similarities in our lives and I can get to know the young people my daughter spends her days with a little better. The students influence each other and share their leisure and learning time at school, and I'm glad I have opportunities to see them in school and out.
I'm lucky to know many of the young people in town through my work as well as through my children and they really are a great bunch of people.
