Celebrating a milestone
Ihave never understood the fuss over a first birthday. Parents go overboard to celebrate the first milestone in their baby’s life and splurge on decorations and gifts, while the little one remains quite oblivious to the brouhaha around him or her.
It seems to be a waste of money as the little one is not going to remember this event or be able to recall memorable moments. The invitees are generally friends of the parents and their children and I can’t imagine one-year-old kids enjoying each other’s company.
The little one is the centre of attention and must wonder what all the fuss is about. Perhaps the only enjoyable part is the presents, although even these can overwhelm if they are too many. One often finds these kids finding the gift-wrapping paper or the decorative ribbon more fascinating than the present itself.
Perhaps it would be better to celebrate the birthday by celebrating the child, the gift parents have been given and whom they should do their best to cherish. The little one isn’t going to take you to task years later for not splurging or going overboard on his or her big day.
When panic struck
I heard about one such birthday celebrated recently. The parents were determined to have a big do although their finances were limited. The lady of the house where they work graciously allowed them use of the front garden for the party. Knowing their monetary limits, she bought paper plates and glasses, snacks and ordered a cake. The father told her there would be around 40 people.
The birthday boy wore new clothes and squeaky shoes, which delighted him. The guests started trickling in around 6pm, although they had been given an earlier time. Soon there was a crowd, many more than the 40 expected.
The snacks and soft drinks were soon over and the guests seemed to be waiting for the main meal. That’s when panic struck. So, marshalling the little money left, they ordered some food, a gesture they could ill afford.
By the time the last guest had left, the family was exhausted and hungry. All the food was over and they hadn’t had a chance to fuel themselves.
When I heard this account, I was struck by people overdoing the celebration even if it means spending way beyond their means. Wouldn’t it have been better if they had taken the baby out to a park or an open space where he could have had the freedom to run and delight in his squeaky shoes to his heart’s content, instead of being forced to meet and greet guests he hardly knew?
In fact, by the time the VIP guest, a pastor, arrived, the boy was fast asleep. And yet the parents woke him up to allow the pastor to shovel some cake in his mouth.
So, the net result of this occasion was the parents spending too much and a birthday boy who didn’t have much fun as he was made to greet people who insisted on feeding his face when he would much rather have been running around, than being restrained every few minutes to say hello to strangers or pose for the photographer.
Yes, there was even a photographer present, which meant endless posing and posturing while the birthday boy must have wondered when the day would end!