This story is part of our birthday series for children aged 5-7 years.
December and January birthdays can be tricky for parents, especially if you’re already planning and organising a big event like Christmas (or possibly two, if you separate out Christmas and New Year). Then the weather is not always on your side (we live in Northern England – it rains a lot), and then there can be the extra financial pressure of those months as well. Here’s our story of how we are managing our 7th winter birthday.
Mummy (9 years parenting)
The Question
“Mummy can I ask you a question?”
Now whenever your child wants to ask you a question, they should always be met with a healthy degree of wariness and unease. Because of course there is the question and then there is the question behind the question. And sometimes because you need to remember how clever these little “darlings” are… there is sometimes the question behind that question.
So in short... how many questions are behind THE question?
But there is another piece of vital information that you must know for this particular question… It is January!!!!!
Luc’s birthday is looming and he is in full planning mode.
And you may ask... well how difficult can a six-year-old planning his 7th family birthday party be?
The answer: Very! No, scratch that… VERY!
First there were the presents...
– which he started getting ideas for last October. And we’ve just celebrated Christmas, so it feels like the house is already full of new stuff!
Then there was the wrapping paper – because he’d quite like football wrapping paper; green football wrapping paper, like last year. Or maybe black football wrapping paper because black is his favourite colour. (just to point out right now that the only wrapping paper I have left is Christmas because its January!)
Then there is the cake – which he’s not a massive fan of, but he does like a home-made coconut cake that’s not too coconutty. But then there is this Jurassic World cake at the supermarket which LOOKS great but he knows he won’t like to eat. So maybe we can get both cakes? Just to clarify, this would be one for him to eat and one that he has no intention of eating – but it looks fun. (and costs £15… for a cake that the birthday boy won’t be eating?!?)
Then there are the balloons – because unfortunately we forgot about balloons for our New Year’s Eve party and he was not impressed – at all! He found 2 left-over pink ones in the bottom of the birthday supplies box, but we discovered they both had holes so BANG! No balloons. So balloons have shot up to almost the top priority right now with the daily question of when I am I next going shopping – to get balloons?
Then there will be the traditional Pass the Parcel – could we make sure that he likes the prize inside (he’s not too convinced about the prize which was in the New Year’s one!). And could we ensure that he does win and not his brother because losing to his older brother is the end of the world right now…
And then there is the quiz, the lunch, which park to go to, bedtime, breakfast time.... and on and on and on.... don't even mention the 'day trip'.
I have just spent November and December planning the whole Christmas extravaganza so needless to say – I’m a little tired of ‘event planning’ right now. Exhausted. Fed up. Frazzled.
“Mummy! I have a question!”
Oh right, he’s still here. Dare I ask?
“Is it about your birthday?” please no, please no, please no, pleeease.
“No, its about tea.”
Oh the relief at that moment was indescribable. It was immense. A simple easy question.
How Wrong I Was!
“Now, for my birthday tea…”
Keep the winter birthday party trials to a miniumum.
Click here for more practical ideas for your child’s winter birthday party.
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