Tips and resources to support children birth to age five
How do you celebrate your child?
My husband’s childhood family never celebrated birthdays. When our boys were little, their dad had a difficult time getting behind birthday celebrations, since this wasn’t in his own personal memory bank. He couldn’t quite see what the fuss was about.
My own childhood family took the opposite tack: my elders looked on birthdays as an opportunity to celebrate the birthday child. Celebrations weren’t fancy or expensive but they were special. My childhood birthday memories are some of my best.
So, as you can imagine, my husband and I had some tension surrounding birthday celebrations for our two sons and that might be a challenge your family deals with too. You and your partner, or your family, or the family of your in-laws, may all have different expectations surrounding birthdays.
How do you handle that?
Your child’s birthday may coincide with another holiday or someone else’s birthday or the anniversary of some significant family event. How do you handle that?
Your child is special and your child’s birthday is a special day, whether you celebrate it or not. So how do you recognize your child’s specialness? What do you do in your family to let your child know the special place he or she holds in your heart?
Please share your experiences by adding a comment below.
You can discover more tips and resources at
http://www.earlylearningcommunity.org/page/tips-from-dr-patricia-nan
Answer the question for the chance to win a $25 Starbucks gift card! For more details, please click here.
My own childhood family took the opposite tack: my elders looked on birthdays as an opportunity to celebrate the birthday child. Celebrations weren’t fancy or expensive but they were special. My childhood birthday memories are some of my best. So, as you can imagine, my husband and I had some tension surrounding birthday celebrations for our two sons and that might be a challenge your family deals with too. You and your partner, or your family, or the family of your in-laws, may all have different expectations surrounding birthdays.
How do you handle that?
Your child’s birthday may coincide with another holiday or someone else’s birthday or the anniversary of some significant family event. How do you handle that?
Your child is special and your child’s birthday is a special day, whether you celebrate it or not. So how do you recognize your child’s specialness? What do you do in your family to let your child know the special place he or she holds in your heart?
Please share your experiences by adding a comment below.
You can discover more tips and resources at
http://www.earlylearningcommunity.org/page/tips-from-dr-patricia-nan
Answer the question for the chance to win a $25 Starbucks gift card! For more details, please click here.
Views: 6
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Michelle on -
For Birthday's I like to decorate their bedroom the night before when the children are sleeping so their birthday celebration begins the moment they wake up. Their placemat at breakfast is decorated with ribbons and confetti and they get a smiley face pancake. The celebration continues when the family comes over for dinner,sharing our favorite stories of the birthday child and eating cake made from the same pan my mom made all of our birthday cakes in.
-
Permalink Reply by Patricia on -
This month is my daughters first birthday. We are celebrating by sharing it with her cousin, a 4 year old with autism, her auntie and uncle, and grandparents. I can't wait to see the kids play all day and share some birthday treats! I think sharing your baby with their biggest fans, ie grandparents, is the best memories we can create for our families. My twin brothers birthday's sometimes coincided with Thanksgiving, and that just meant more loved ones attending, and Thanksgiving pie, and birthday cake!! They always thought is was neat that the whole nation was gathering together on their birthday/Thankgiving to celebrate and eat good food together. Those were always extra special. Birthday's are always my favorite holiday to celebrate just being yourself and the gift of living.
-
Permalink Reply by Meggan on -
My daughter and my mother have the same birthday, July 5th. The first year we had a joint birthday because my daughter was turning one and my mother was turning 60. We just went with a girly theme and had a huge celebration honoring both of them. Since then, my mom has insisted that they no longer share a birthday party so my daughter can have her own special day. I also don't combine her birthday with the fourth of July, but we do often enjoy the fireworks as a celebration of the beginning of her birthday since I watched the 4th of July fireworks from the hospital window while I was in labor with her. I also like to just have some special time where we do something special together. Just mommy and daughter time. My husband also gets her a special present from him since usually I pick everything out & just say its from us.
-
Permalink Reply by Foundation for Early Learning on -
Congratulations to Michelle. She was randomly selected to win $25 in Starbucks giftcards. To try again, click here.
-
Permalink Reply by chris on
-
Kudos on seperating the day! My birthday, also the 5th of July, was always combined with my parents anniversary the 4th, and was always an adult party.
Meggan said:My daughter and my mother have the same birthday, July 5th. The first year we had a joint birthday because my daughter was turning one and my mother was turning 60. We just went with a girly theme and had a huge celebration honoring both of them. Since then, my mom has insisted that they no longer share a birthday party so my daughter can have her own special day. I also don't combine her birthday with the fourth of July, but we do often enjoy the fireworks as a celebration of the beginning of her birthday since I watched the 4th of July fireworks from the hospital window while I was in labor with her. I also like to just have some special time where we do something special together. Just mommy and daughter time. My husband also gets her a special present from him since usually I pick everything out & just say its from us.
-
Permalink Reply by chris on
-
Years ago I started a tradition in our family, on your birthday you choose the meal and cake and we (myself and the birthday child) make the meal and everyone eats it and no complaints!!
One year cassie wanted chinese food, we didn't have the internet then, and we went to the used book store and bought a couple of cookbooks and made sweet n sour pork, fried rice and eggrolls, as well as egg drop soup. the food was better than our favorite chinese restaurant. depending on the cake we get a shaped pan or hand ice a cake and the events are cherished memories. Over the years the kids have begun planning our their menus farther and farther ahead.
All of my children have a knoweledge of cooking, the older ones have even started horning in on the birthday time of other children. And the cakes are out of this world. It is all up to their imagination.
© 2012 Created by Foundation for Early Learning.
