Partying in the Noble way

Finest Blog Winner - Third Weekly Pick of June 2011

We had been invited to a birthday party recently. It was a moment to recall the discussion that I had with my DH before our daughter’s first birthday - Is it required to host birthday parties?

The various points that constituted our discussion:
Arranging birthday parties for a one or two year old kid - does it really make the kid happy? We end up troubling them on a very special day in their life. They miss their sleep / feed routine. They have to wear the party dress which might not enchant them much. Also, kids of one year are not used to seeing many people at a time. It is a good learning for them to get accustomed to the normalcy of life – being amidst people. But it should be introduced in a slow and steady pattern. Most kids are confused by seeing so many people. Also, with the celebration around, noise is inevitable. This is also new to the kid. They tend to get confused and feel left alone. Certain kids start crying as well to express their resistance to the happenings. Aren’t we, as parents, supposed to avoid such happenings?

Another point to it is the expense involved for arranging these parties. Assuming an average 40-50 person party and cost of a buffet being Rs. 500, the food expense alone comes to around Rs.25,000 and with all the other expenses put together, the average spend would be around Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 40,000 each year. Why not utilize this money for some other noble cause. Donate it to some orphanage or old age home or some other community centric projects. This money can also be used to sponsor a child. It may also be done in the child’s name. By this way, we will be getting them the wishes from a needy soul which can go a long way in making the child’s life blessed.
Due to this discussion, we haven’t arranged b’day party for our 4-year old daughter till now. Though, we couldn’t do anything great till last year (mainly bcos of our laziness to find the right option), we donated to CRY this year. We have decided to celebrate her birthday in the party way only if she asks us for it. Else, we would stick with the usual birthday routines (gifts, cake cutting, special breakfast / lunch / dinner, etc.) within the extended family.

I cannot draw any conclusion here as the choice is obviously on the individual’s perception. But leaving a small piece of information, thinking it might be useful :thumbsup. CRY has come with a special project for girl children who have suffered sexual assault. I heard from the volunteer that few of them suffer from severe physical abnormalities too (don’t have any senses working below their hip, etc.) It was really very sad to hear that kids are suffering pathetically for no fault of theirs. They have various options like sponsoring for their day to day expenses, education, etc.

 

Hi ILs,
Thanks for all your comments. Feeling so great to receive positive feedback for my first blog:biglaugh

Regards,
Suha

 

Thanks forgiven10