Now that I have gotten to a certain age (don’t make me say it, but just know my kids are nine and seven and I had them in my thirties), I have decided I am embracing my age and I will not be shy about my birthday anymore.
I used to stay very low key about my birthday, but then would be secretly disappointed when people didn’t call or make a tiny bit of a fuss. (In fact, last year I was quite anrgy as my own mother did not call on my birthday. Note to future self: your kids always want to hear from you on their birthdays!)
It’s not that I want to make a huge deal out of my birthday, but I have come to realize that it is nice to mark these days in some way.
I’ve also come to realize that as busy as we moms are, the other people in our lives can be just as busy. My husband has been swamped with work—travelling, late till all hours, and generally a stress ball. I knew he would have nothing planned. My dad was also visiting until the day before my birthday, but as he relies on my mom for everything, I knew I’d be lucky if he even remembered my birthday. My sweet little ones…well, I knew they’d have some wonderful cards and crafts ready; but after an initial fuss, they tend to lose interest and go off to play.
My solution? Take matters into my own hands and plan a birthday party for myself!
Though I adore my kids, the gift I really wanted was a child-free evening with my friends around me, so I decided to invite some people over for dinner—sixteen people to be exact! I didn’t want to spend the day cooking, though, so I splurged and hired a caterer. And I got a babysitter to help with the kids and with clean-up.
It was a really nice evening. Good food (that I didn’t have to prepare or clean up after), some of my favourite people, and I got to play hostess but could be relaxed about it. My kids even dressed up and helped serve drinks before being carted off to bed by the babysitter, which was very sweet as well.
So, I suppose you could say that my birthday was a little decadent this year, but I got the birthday I wanted and no one had to feel guilty for forgetting or not doing enough or feeling pressure to get the “right” gift. it was an evening to remember which, to me, was a much better gift than a designer handbag or shoes.
