By The Wiz
Today is my son’s birthday. He is two years old. And yes, he throws tantrums over the wrong color bowl, and invents ingenius ways to climb the pantry shelves to get to the suckers. He is a normal, happy (usually) two year old who has no idea that it is his birthday. He will be content to get no presents, eat no cake, and basically pursue his own agenda of sucker-stealing and hopping.
However, he has two older sisters who are VERY aware that it is his birthday, and are quite distraught that nary a candle has been blown. Where are the presents? We need to go to the store right now! He will be sad! Bring on the cake! Do you think he likes chocolate best? While I’m thinking “Hmmm….maybe I’ll just allow him to get to the suckers and call it a day,” they’re wondering which kids to invite to the party.
I guess this means I have to acknowledge his birthday in some way. I was planning on simply having family over on Sunday for cake and ice cream, but that’s not nearly enough! That’s 4 days away! He can’t wait that long for presents. It’s simply inhumane, and my girls are going to call children’s services on me, just as soon as they learn how to read the phone book.
Maybe I can just wrap up an old toy of his, and bake blackberry cobbler for his cake. (I am, after all, the master of growing blackberries) Maybe that’ll satisfy the little social workers. But it doesn’t take a fortune teller to see that there’s a trip to the toy aisle of Wal-Mart in my future. And I don’t have to be clairvoyant to know that trip will probably include lots of whining for various girl toys on display, totally inappropriate for a two-year-boy who doesn’t even know it’s his birthday.
My daughter turned two last Friday — exact same story. Her 4-year old sister would not let it rest and thought of all sorts of things that Eliie “needs”.
And today is my husband’s 30th. Sadly, he’s getting just as little attention.
Feeling like a failure . . .
Comment #1 by LieslAugust 24th, 2005 at 12:27 pmReminds me of a story my sister shared. She celebrated her 3 year olds party on his birthday then 3-4 days later another party with the family. Needless to say the confused 3 year old with no conception of time now thinks he’s 4 since he had 2 birthdays.
Comment #2 by EmilyAugust 24th, 2005 at 4:19 pmAh!
He sounds so cute! E will be two in December. I just shake my head and smile. Oh how time flys.
He was born on the 26th of Dec. Last year, we didn’t even celebrate his birthay. His siblings too, threw a total fit. They are teens and insisted we do something.
He was still on Oxygen and a feeding tube then, so I couldn’t do the cake thing and we had just found out he was blind. I was so depressed. This year, I am determined to make something special happen.
*chuckle* Even if it is buying a barbie!!!
HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Comment #3 by LisaAugust 24th, 2005 at 7:02 pmI think your cobbler will be a great birthday treat! Our daughter will be turning one in October and I have been excited to make a cake - my DH is not a cake person and I’m smart enough to know if I ever made a cake, it would be me eating the entire thing. Not good. Also, I think it will be fun to see her reaction to her first sweet food. But the idea of getting her presents is just silly. DH wants to wrap up a few of the toys she plays with. I think just giving her wrapping paper would be heaven to her. This year has gone fast!
p.s. Emily, I love that your nephew thinks he is 4! How funny!
Comment #4 by MaryAugust 25th, 2005 at 10:06 amMy youngest will be 2 next month and the 2 older kids are already planning his big day. I know he won’t understand it is his birthday, but he is so fun-loving and enjoys a good party…I think he’ll like it. But does anyone have suggestions for “the best toy ever” for a 2-year-old. It is so hard to know what they’ll really like sometimes.
Comment #5 by Suzie PetuniaAugust 26th, 2005 at 12:15 amGet your soon to be 2 year old a really big box. If you want to be really creative paint it like a house or something.
This birthday thing can get so out of hand. My girls immediately start talking about their next birthday bash the day after their current birthday. I’ve gotten to a point where I forbid any birthday party planning until about 3 months before their birthday.
Comment #6 by Kristen JAugust 26th, 2005 at 2:26 amIsn’t it great that your daughters are looking out for him, though, Wiz? I think it’s sweet.
Hey, I realize it’s tacky to do this, but I couldn’t find an email anywhere for this blog, so I’m going to just comment here instead — I just posted a plea for ideas on ways to make one-hour waits productive (like in church foyers waiting for activity night to end, or at soccer practice). If any of you have some ideas, please come comment. Or if you have lots of great ideas, maybe you could make a whole post out of it.
Comment #7 by AllisonAugust 26th, 2005 at 6:34 pmAre we talking waiting by yourself, or with small children? Because if it’s by yourself, I find that stashing my current issue of the Ensign in the car works out really well.
I always have to wait to pick up my oldest at school, because if you don’t get there early, there’s no place to park. So I turn on a CD for my younger ones, and read the Ensign for a while. I know people that do this with catalogs and other magazines as well. Since you just leave it in the car, it’s always there when you have a few minutes to kill, and the short articles are better suited to the time than a long novel.
Now, as to waiting with small children, I’ve got nothing. It just basically is an exercise in endurance and patience for me. Magazines are good here too, though, in doctor’s offices and such, to make games out of. Like, who can find the most flowers in these magazines? How many yellow things are on that page? Etc. Etc.
Comment #8 by The WizAugust 26th, 2005 at 7:56 pmI also find that I don’t read the Ensign during the summer, when I don’t have that time in the car! Whoops.
Comment #9 by The WizAugust 26th, 2005 at 7:57 pmJust make sure there is atleast a cake involved. My mom made the mistake one year of telling me that I had no first birthday cake. I was crushed! Now (even though older birthdays are really nothing special anymore) I MUST have a cake! I mean come on, it was the day I was born some twenty something years ago…that’s gotta mean something! And if there is no cake for whatever reason…there is an old phrase…what they don’t know won’t hurt them!
Comment #10 by BeanieAugust 26th, 2005 at 8:52 pmI’m doing the waiting with a toddler boy and either an 8 or 5 year old girl depending on which one of them is doing the activity. So far, I’ve come up with short-distance errands like the library and post office, but I don’t need to do those things that often.
We’ve got 3 dance classes (2 for 8 year old, 1 for 5 year old), 1 soccer practice (5 year old) and church activity nights every other week and my oldest also wants to take piano lessons. I’ve toyed with the idea of signing her up for piano during my other daughter’s dance class (it’s across the street from the dance academy) to at least make use of the time for her (although it wouldn’t help me at all, the marginal effect on my time seems negligable).
Sorry for the threadjack. I’m just going insane with the 1 hour waits and know there are very likely other moms here who might have strategies for dealing with stuff like this.
Comment #11 by AllisonAugust 27th, 2005 at 10:25 pm