K is for ... "Kid's Birthdays"

 
Today my eldest child, The Fashionista, turned 11. There's nothing like having children to really understand the saying that "time flies when you are having fun". Seems like yesterday that you are celebrating their birth and the next thing they are little people. Chatty, boisterous, noisy little people!
 
 

 
 
The Fashionista was heading off on a Guide camp (that's her in uniform) for the weekend, so we didn't really have any time to do much. The morning was spent packing her and her little sister's camp boxes and then singing over a cupcake (I made her a birthday cake for camp) and then heading off in the afternoon to help set up the tents.
 
Even so normally in our family, we usually have simple family birthdays. We let the girls pick a family outing (movies, park, mini golf, etc), have a special meal and cake and that's about the extent of it. We make a fuss of that person and make the focus of the day all about them, but we do not hold a big birthday party every year.
 
We did (and do) hold birthday party's for what we consider to be special ages, i.e their first birthday, their fifth and their 10th (double figures). The next one will be when they are 13 and become teens.
 
Does anyone else think that children's birthdays may have a gone a little far these days? Kids seem to have special birthday parties each and every year, sometimes at McDonald's, bowling, swimming, climbing centres and so on. Mums (and possibly some Dad's) spend hours (and lots of money!) putting together matching and co-ordinating themes and it can even feel a bit competitive at times. I wonder what it is teaching our children about their birthdays? Are we setting standards for them that they will be forced into following?
 
Then again maybe it's just me being too lazy to bother putting together a big party every year. Oh well it will give my kids something else to complain about when they end up in therapy later on in life.

"Happy birthday Fashionista ... we love you 'round the world and back".