Here are my answers to this week’s questions from pensitivity101

Children aside, do you celebrate your birthday/anniversary or is it just a normal day for you?

I usually do something special on my birthday. If we’re at home I might invite a few friends over for a meal. Gifts are not necessary but some insist on bringing something small which is nice. It’s the thought that counts.

I’ve already written about my surprise celebration for my 70th which fortunately happened a month earlier than the actual date. On the ‘real’ day, I was still recovering from a short stay in hospital. I had inteneded to have some people round but instead asked them to drinks at the harbour. One of my friend’s organised a surprise cake. It is lovely to be celebrated on your birthday!

Do/did you always give your child a birthday party when they were young?

Absolutely. It’s the highlight of a child’s year. With my own I would make a special cake. Later, when helping raise grandchildren we would get somebody to do a cake in a shape the boys’ requested.

If your child was born on Christmas Day (or a few days either side of the 25th), did they have a ‘half birthday’ in June, two presents/celebrations, or something else?

No, we did not do a half-year celebration for our 29-December baby. Before she started school we had a party on the day and invited cousins and friends who had not gone away for the holidays. When she started school, we threw a big party inviting all the kids in her class on the last day of term, before everybody had holiday plans. It is summer in December in South Africa so it was usually a pool party.

As far as the gifts went, she received one for Christmas and one for her birthday when she was small. So December was a mega month for her. As she grew older she would sometimes request an expensive combined gift which she would receive on Christmas day. We would still give an inexpensive one on her birthday.

November and December are full of birthdays in our family. Among our children and grandchildren, we have 16, 22, 30 November and 22 and 29 December. Among my siblings we have 22 and 25 November and 6 December. The fourth one is a month later than Christmas so it was still a hectic three months for my parents! Then there are several cousins in November too!

Would you prefer to give your child a party, or take them and a few friends on a special outing?

When we were helping our daughter raise her two boys we did a mix of the two. When they were very small we had birthday parties. In primary school, they could choose to take a few friends to a child-friendly restaurant like MacDonalds or Spur. The staff of these establishments would do something special like sing a birthday song and bring a sparkler instead of candles.

Gratitude
A child’s laughter is infectious, contagious and a bringer of memories to those of us in our twilight years.

I am hugely grateful for all the little ones in my life. They have always made me laugh. My grandchildren are grown now but they can still get me to crack up laughing.