Ever since I was a kid, I would always name July 12th as my favorite holiday. You didn't know that was a holiday? It's my birthday, of course. And, you might observe, it's tomorrow. So, even though I'm home with a sad, little, fevered son and kids who are doing their best not to tear down the house, I'm in a pretty great mood. Anticipation is the best part.
I began to wonder why I'm such a birthday lover. I love everyone's birthday! It feels like the best news ever to me whenever someone makes that shy little announcement, "well, it's my birthday." Obviously, to find the answer to this question, we must go back to childhood, and if it ain't one thing, it's the mother. My mom was the best birthday party thrower. She was that Pinterest Mom who makes you jealous long before that was a thing. She loved to bake or pick a special cake at the bakery and do all the little crafts and decorations. But, what I think stands out to me is not that the parties were elaborate, because some were and some weren't. (We love to recall my little sister opening box after box of orange tic-tacs. She loved it, of course.) What made an impression on me, I've concluded, was that my mom made us feel special. I didn't grow up in a spoiling environment. There were lots of healthy limits. But, birthdays were indulgent. At least that's how I remember them. I was bratty for many a birthday- probably because I, being a young, precocious thing, would take a mile when they'd give me an inch of indulgence for my special day. That's definitely how my kids sometimes handle all the special occasions I promote.
I love having an excuse to share with others for partying and being together. I LOVE it. So, tomorrow, I'll be throwing a birthday party for my son whose birthday is the 13th. It's really the best birthday gift I could have: to have children to throw parties for, one that will guarantee a party around my birthday every year! Being a doula, birthdays have taken on even more significance because now I've seen time and time again just how much a birth is worth celebrating! Your mom did something incredible for your sake- no matter what the birth story was. We ought to celebrate just to commemorate for the mother the end of pregnancy! New people entering the stream of life is a very big deal. It's worth a yearly party for sure.
So Happy Birthday to ME (and to my son and all the other July-babies ((we're the best. don't tell the rest)))!!! THANKS, MOM!!!
