The author chooses to have simple birthday celebrations for her two sons.
Courtesy of Bethaney Phillips
I have two boys, 7 and 9, both of whom have birthdays in late spring and early summer. Each year we celebrate with their favorite meal and cake of their choice with family.Of course, they get presents, but otherwise, we keep it simple. We might go to the park or do something fun for the day, like swimming or going to a splash pad as a family.Why we opt for simple partiesKeeping it simple lets them enjoy their big day without being too tired or overwhelmed, and lets my husband and me focus on the kids rather than spend hours planning. In their first few years, we did blow-outs and soon decided it wasn't worth it. It was expensive, a ton of work, and there was so much cleaning after the party. Most of the time was spent talking with guests rather than focusing on our children and enjoying the time with them.They were exhausted and overstimulated, and so were we. And that was before the cleanup. Even when we rented a location, there was ample cleanup and unloading.So we stopped doing it.Now, our celebrations are small and simpleWe found a new way to celebrate birthdays that's much more low-key; it's just us, some good food, and lots of fun.The boys sometimes ask for bigger parties, especially if they are invited to one. I haven't given in; instead of turning it into a negative, I focus on how fun it is that they were invited and got to be part of it. Rather than saying, "No, we're not doing that," I try to frame it as, "How cool that you get to go experience that!" And there's never been any fuss after that.
