Not that anyone asked, but here is our philosophy on birthdays. First, our kids get three presents at Christmas, that's a whole nother post. Christmas is about Christ's gift to us, not ours to them. So they get three, which is why I don't have any problem at all making birthdays super special and a whole week long! Next, our kids will get big, go somewhere, bring friends birthdays on the 5's (5th, 10th, etc) we'll adjust if we need to. The point is. these first several birthdays don't need to include trips to Vegas for their 20 closest friends from preschool. I have been to amazing 2nd birthday parties, where the partiers were too tired, overwhelmed and blithering. Keep it small, keep it simple.
For 1-3 years it's usually just parents, grandparents, maybe one other couple and kids. I make dinner and cake, we do presents, rah, rah, yeah. A good rule of thumb is 2 kids over the age of your child, Emerson is turning 4, we will invite 6. Trust me, it works. Here is why: have realistic expectations of toddlers. It's their birthday, they have probably gotten less sleep, more sugar, less routine over the few days prior. There is company and other kids, more noise and less attention because mom is being a good hostess. And the game changer....presents! At ages 2 & 3, we are working on sharing, everyday in fact, but it's not even close to being mastered. You will be disappointed if you put your munchkin in this setting, sprinkle all the hoopla and throw in shiny, new amazing presents and then say, "Now Share, please." Probably not, for them or their friends. This doesn't mean don't try or have a party, just be realistic. I should also say, I have been to some very fun toddlers birthdays. Most of which were in their own home, very comfortable and familiar, kids and adults they knew and were comfortable with, and pretty low key and relaxed.
Again, this is just what we do, it is by no means the best or only way. Another reason we do birthday week is that even with young toddlers I am trying to be conscientious of raising ministry kids. Our lifestyle is just different, not better or worse, just different. Since Andy and I began dating, we have almost never been able to do birthdays, anniversaries even Christmas on it's assigned day. The demands of church don't stop when our birthday falls on a Wednesday or church activity. This is a matter of perspective, we don't resent it or get upset about it, we just get really creative with calendaring and scheduling around it. We, however chose this as our life and our families life, the babies did not. More about this on my ministry blog. I am already looking ahead to Berkley's older birthdays which will fall right before Thanksgiving and our Christmas music programs. If we are doing a whole week of fun, unique and special activities then when we have to have our birthday celebrations a day or two before or after, my hope is that it won't be totally heartbreaking. It's not about being indulgent for an entire week just because we can. It's about trying to show the kids that our lives can be flexible and fun, we can still do church and serve, and they are not in anyway less important or less deserving of all our attention and love. So, let Birthday Week begin! More to come........
