By Leah Spina
MaybebrI'm different from most parents, but I love children's birthday parties. I love hosting them and I lovebrattending them. I feel they help us busy parents slow down and celebratebranother year of life that God gave us with our children.
But as much as I love children's birthday parties, I've begun tobrenjoy their actual birthday even more. Insteadbrof the chaotic happiness of 20 children running around, it’s a simple day inbrour house of celebrating that child and thanking God for another year of lifebrwith them.
Yesterdaybrwe celebrated, privately as a family, Samson's 5th birth date at home. (I CAN'TbrBELIEVE WE HAVE BEEN PARENTS FOR FIVE YEARS!!!!) Two-year-old Esther and Ibrentered his bedroom singing the Happy Birthday song and pulling back hisbrracecar-themed black and white checkered curtains to let the morning sun seepbrthrough on this happiest of days.
Samson'sbrface lit up like a Christmas tree. “I'm FIVE! I'm WEALLY big, now! And, and,brand I'm BIGGER THAN ESTHER.”
Well,bryes. Yes, you are.
I letbrhim choose his own shirt to wear BECAUSE IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY! Huge smile and hebrchoose a Ninja Turtles t-shirt.
I letbrhim choose breakfast BECAUSE IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY! Huge smile and he chosebrwaffles.
Webrhung the two-dollar, multi-color happy birthday banner in the kitchen that webrhang for every family member's birthday and then left for Target to buybringredients to make a cake. That's the only thing we had to buy and I lovebrshopping trips like this: just to make a memory.
Sometimesbrwhen I'm taking the kids on normal errands, I get upset and impatient atbrspills, interruptions, messes and discipline because they are messing up MYbrPLANS. But just-for-fun trips like this help me put on a different parentingbrmindset. This is 100% to have fun with my kids and build our relationship. Webrtired mamas need it as much as they do!
“Wheeeeeerebris it? Wheeeeeeeere is the cake aisle? HERE IT IS!” I gasp, as if we just enteredbrDisneyworld. I slowly showed Samson all the cake mixes and frosting containers.br(We were going total anti-organic/healthy and full-on processed – hurrah for abrtired pregnant mama and ease for a just-five-year-old chef!)
Afterbrcareful deliberation, my precious white-haired boy choose a white cake withbrconfetti and dutch chocolate icing. I think I threw up in my mouth a little bitbrjust writing that combination, but WHO CARES?!!?! It's his birthday!
Webrzipped our grocery cart over to the party supplies and nabbed some ninja turtlebrcake plates and napkins then headed to the express lane to check out. Samsonbrasked if he could have a bag of those ill-placed processed food snacks at abrchild's eye level. You know my answer by now: SURE! IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY! Ibrreveled in watching my children chomp the ultimate unhealthy snack with orangebrfaces. What a happy, happy day!
Atbrhome, Samson cracked the eggs in the mixing bowl while I swiped out egg shellsbrafter each one with my finger. Yes, it took a lot longer with a much biggerbrmess for Samson to make his cake, but that smile when it was done? PRICELESS.
WhenbrDave returned home later that day, he took Samson to buy his birthday present:bra big, “real” ninja turtle bicycle and hilarious/hideous turtle bicycle helmet.br(Please don't laugh at him if you see him riding down the street). Then ourbrtiny family gathered around our wood kitchen table to sing happy birthday.
AsbrDave popped five candles into the chocolate icing, my pregnant eyes welled withbrtears. “Honey!” I burst out. “Can you believe our baby boy is five!” I grabbedbrSamson to my chest in a fierce, emotional hug. Dave grabbed the lighter andbrlaughed, “Leah! We've been parents FIVE YEARS.”
Then,brin a delicious ordinary, extraordinary moment, we all sang. Samson beamed inbrhis chair holding up his hand to remind us he was five the whole song. Estherbrsucked her little thumb in my lap. We all ate the cake and went swimming ourbrpool afterwards.
Maybebryou can do something special on your child's birthday to “stop and smell” thebrgift of parenthood. It's so easy to plow through each day when you are a tired,broverwhelmed parent of young children. I know I do! Try finding things likebrbirthdays to help pull you out of caretaker mode and into a different, funbrparenting perspective.
Photo via Flickr.
Leah Spinabris a former journalist of a national newsweekly turned stay-at-home mom tobrthree children, age five and under. She lives in the Dallas area with herbrhusband, David, and is a speaker to mom groups and conferences. Her new book Stopbrand Smell Your Children: Laugh and Enjoy the Little Years helps parents tobrenjoy, not just endure, the little years by changing their parentingbrperspective. Visit leahspina.com to sign-up for Leah’s free weekly parentingbrblog and video. You can also follow her on Instagram (leahthespina) andbrFacebook. When Leah is not burning macaroni and cheese, she enjoys singingbrItalian opera, riding horses and drinking inordinate amounts of Starbucksbrcoffee.