Is this really where we are?
Is this really what we’ve come to? Is this not the epitome of spoiled,
over-indulged parenting? I can’t wrap my mind around what we’re doing
here…..is this really gonna be a “thing” from now on? Yes.
Seems the latest cool thing to do is to celebrate half
birthdays. Now this trend has been
around a while but its gaining momentum into the “widely accepted” arena. Six months after your real birthday is your
half birthday. It’s another excuse to
pamper and spoil your kids with the full blown party essentials and gifts so
they have twice the days in the year when it’s all about them.
Now we’re not just talking about those poor, deprived
children whose birthdays are within weeks of Christmas (or any other big
holiday) so that they get lost in the shuffle and feel their special day doesn’t
get the pageantry it deserves. We’re
talking about everyone…everyone has a half birthday!
If you think hard enough you can come up with an excuse why
they need this. Even if they don’t have
a December birthday. Like, maybe, they
have a summer birthday (terrible) and they don’t get to have cupcakes at school
for their birthday like the other kids whose birthdays are during the school
year. How horrible to have to have a summer birthday at the pool, in the
sunshine….right? Or maybe, they have a
winter birthday and they like the pool idea, it’s just no fun being cold on
your day. Or maybe, little Johnny just
didn’t get all the things he wanted on that last birthday.
People, this is a
made-up day! You only have one birthday….
That’s why it’s called a “birth-day”. It is what it is. Isn’t this just perpetuating the narcissistic
attitude that kids seem to have in spades already? They already have a “graduation” from every
school grade from kindergarten through high school complete with all the parties
and gifts. We already have potty training parties and first moon parties.
They get trophies and ribbons for every athletic event they
participate in, win, lose or draw. Now you can add to the “all about me” attitude
of Easter, Christmas, the Tooth Fairy, beginning of school/end of school and
Halloween with an extra birthday! And don’t
try to say that you will just switch to celebrate the half birthday only and
not celebrate on the actual birthday….we know better than that; you’ll do both. Because that’s why you’re doing it. Ridiculous. What’s next?
Quarterly birthdays? A “coming
out” party every time they lose a tooth??
Parents please… using the toilet or getting your period is
not an achievement. It’s part of growing up, a rite of passage that everyone has
to go through just like moving on to the next grade in school. Not everything
in life is a trophy winning, cake eating, party hat wearing event. If you treat everything like it is, your
child’s actual note-worthy achievements pale by comparison and you raise kids
that don’t understand why the world doesn’t celebrate everything they do when
they grow up.
We don’t need this new generation to feel more entitled that
they already do! It’s so over the top already.
I call BS!
Let’s get back to reality and teach kids to appreciate what they have
and truly achieve. Not everybody can be the best….or the winner…or the birthday
kid…. except when they are.
