Celebrating birthdays are, naturally, important, to me. It's a celebration of milestones and of life, of hope and of thanksgiving. How can we overindulge a child with presents or a party on this special day? Isn't he or she deserving to be special because God has created him and given Him life to declare His goodness to the world?
Buying a child gifts every now and then is indulgent. Spending tons on play, theme parks, indoor playgrounds and even movies or plays every month is an indulgence. If a child only receives presents on special occasions such as birthday, Christmas or even Children's Day, is a birthday party specially for him deemed as indulgent?
As a child, I remember warm and cosy birthday parties celebrated at my grandmother's house, where my mum would invite our neighbours and relatives to come share in the joy of my birthday. When I was in P3, I remember giving out goodie bags to all my classmates. That was my birthday present! It was shared by a class of 40 kids! Have I, then, grown up to be a spoilt princess? I guess it takes more than all that. It's our parenting style and all we shape our kids with the tangibles and intangibles. The art of giving is first modelled by parents, who generously give of their time, effort and money to the children who will catch on that generosity from them.
I'm not for advocating elaborate birthday parties in hotels or at expensive venues. If it's budgeted within your means and celebrated among family and close friends, it can be truly meaningful and can make wonderful memories for keeps.
What's really an indulgence is probably me basking in the preparation of the party. From the choice of the venue right down to the décor, I'm the major decision maker. Of course, I work within a budget. If I spend too much on one thing, I cut down on something else. Logical, common sense planning.
Nathanael's 3rd birthday is just around the corner. I'm in the midst of doing up the décor. The bunting is almost done.
Wanted to buy pretty paper from scrapbooking shops. In the end, I got what I needed from Popular which helps to cut cost.
This time, I spent quite an amount of time on the goodie bags. The bags are handmade with love. :) Cost almost nothing. The bags were leftovers from Nathanael's 1st birthday bash. The coloured paper were from Daiso, bought some time ago for Zech to do his craft.
As my boys are older now, I get them to help out in the prep. These cut-outs are also from Popular. A pack like this cost $2.90.
The boys are helping me to pack the goodie bags next week. There's a sense of ownership and responsibility involved in the party planning process. Although I do most of the work, which I don't mind as I enjoy doing such stuff, my boys can now be involved and can help me out a little here and there. And, my friends, there's great satisfaction and joy derived from it all. The joy of sharing and of generous giving are what make a birthday party all worthwhile. Presents are, in actual fact, not the centre stage here.
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