So my children’s school decided to scrap off birthday parties at their school. Reason? “The food we carried was not safe for everyone and that fellow parents were worried their children could be poisoned!” Hmmm (I wish I could use a smiley to express my feelings when I received this notice)…
But why? Does the director of the school know how hard and expensive it is to organise or better still pull off a birthday party away from school? I lament every time my children’s birthdays fall on a week day! I say to my husband “There goes a low budget birthday party and now we can’t enjoy that school party privilege!”
Gone are the days when a medium size cake, a box of Safi drinks, a box of tea Maria biscuits, a packet of sweets and five ofwono bottles of Soda were enough to feed a class of 45 pupils on one huge birthday party. Yeah, it was as simple as that; a successful birthday party, required a maximum of 150,000 only! I’m crying over spilt milk. My children’s school blacklisted this pleasure and I’m sad. Why? I can’t afford huge parties for my four children each year!
I envy you. I mean you parents whose children’s schools still host your children’s birthday parties. Let me see… you carry a few balloons and have them sit in a circle with the one child celebrating their birthday seated in the middle on that high table with a crew of friends.
What do I do? I have to ask my children for their ideas of a good party, tell them to write a list of their friends and their parent’s phone numbers, book a cake, pay for a venue, get a decorator, find bouncy castles and clowns then put off about three days to run errands all related to this party and nothing else. On the d day I must call everyone and make sure the whole clan attends and if one of their favorite cousin or uncle doesn’t attend, I’m answerable!
Let’s look at the finances. Total amount spent? (I wish I could use another smiley here, probably the one holding its eyes with its hands).
Why must we even celebrate birthdays? Well, to remind our children that they are special, that they should celebrate life and to also show them that we appreciate their existence in our lives! Whether you have a school party privilege or not, find means of making your child feel special on their birthday.
In this day and era, it’s important because these celebrations mean a lot to this generation. As you celebrate, teach your children to value friendships by inviting their friends. I had two birthday parties this week and since my elder son is old enough to make a few choices, we agreed on some fun day activities with his friends. For my last daughter who was making one yesterday, we chose to give back to the community by donating to mothers who gave birth on that day at a hospital in one of Kampala’s suburbs.
Don’t ignore birthday parties. Think and look around you. There are unique ways of celebrating!