Birthdays

I took my three year old, Boo, to a birthday party yesterday. Her friend was turning 3, and the party was held at Gymboree. I've never been there, although I've heard of it. It was a wonderful party and the kids had so much fun! The Gymboree employee was wonderful with the group of kids, whose ages ranged from almost 2 to 6 or so. They had toddler sized gym equipment and they climbed and slid and crawled through tubes and had a marvelous time in self play. Then she had them make a circle around a huge parachute and they filled the middle with blow-up beach balls. The kids "made waves" by shaking the parachute up and down and of course the beach balls went up even higher. They were all laughing and even I was when the beach balls came down all over the kids. She had them play where they walked in a circle, stepping in and out of hoops she had placed on the floor. Each time the music stopped, they had to be standing inside a hoop, but she removed a hoop each time. The kids were never "out", they simply tried to stand two in a hoop, which was hilarious, and just as fun for them. They had color games and ball games, and so many original ways to have the kids be active and they totally enjoyed it. For over an hour, my child ran, jumped, slid, climbed, crawled, and laughed and I bet she didn't even know she was exercising. We then had cake and ice cream while the birthday girl opened presents. It was a wonderful party, and I'm going to remember it next party I have to plan!

On the way home, Boo said she wanted one. One what? I questioned. I want another birthday, she said. "You just had a birthday a few months ago. You can't have another birthday till December." "Well," she replied thoughtfully, "I think we should each get two." I had to smile at that thought. If I'd had two birthdays from the time I was three, I'd be pushing a lot more than 40! I'd be pregnant and 70! (Which is a thought too scary to even think about) And I thought I was tired now at 38... So I thought about it. When you are three, you want more than one birthday a year, but then it tapers off so that when you are in your thirties, you almost don't want one at all. So, when you are three, you have two birthdays a year until your 21 and then they go back to once a year until they are 35 and then you get one every other year until you are 62, and then you can have a birthday only when you feel like it.

Is that a good idea? Well, actually not. Having two birthdays from three to 21 would make you 40 right off the bat. And besides, think of everything we would miss in raising our children! We would only have them at home for 9 or 10 years and then they would be gone! My oldest son is turning 19 this year, in about 2 weeks. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. I still remember him as an infant, and sometimes I wonder where the time went. It was so fast! One minute you are trying to help him with spelling words in 3rd grade, and you blink and you're buying a cap and gown. Now he's deciding what he wants to do in college. Gone are the days of playing matchbox cars on the floor, and arm wrestling him to get him to do what I want. No, I tell Boo, one birthday a year is MORE than enough. You'll have to wait for December to turn 4, and don't you dare try to grow up any faster!!!