Can you remember your birthday parties? Did you have birthday parties? If you haven't, don't be upset. This is not the end of the world and you will be no less than anyone else. But today it seems that not having a 1st birthday party is interpreted by many people as not liking the child.
And we're not talking about a simple party. Today, children's parties are almost a luxury and let's say even unnecessary. But we're not here to speak ill of children's birthday parties, but the exaggeration behind them.
Many parents even go into debt to provide such a party for their children. They rent a salon and pay dearly for it. The sweets and snacks are exotic. Balloons are few, but there are lots of dolls and toys. There is so much information that, at the end of the party, children, especially the youngest ones, are stressed at the party. Not to mention that the girls are already dressed so they don't play. At 2 or 3 years old, they are already wearing high-heeled shoes and glamorous dresses where the abusive prices show how our society is concerned with showing off.
And then you must ask yourself: where did the magic of birthday parties from when we were children go? The aunt and the mother made the sweets. The cake was made by the grandmother. The balloons, bought at the warehouse. The children wore simple clothes, because they left their birthday exhausted from running and climbing trees. It was literally real fun.
Not today. Parents and guests go glamorous. Everyone sits and talks while the children somehow play on the rented toys. Some don't even know about such toys. It's a lot of information and, in the end, not much fun.
These days, a gossip site that appeared on my Facebook timeline showed that a couple had spent almost half a million to have his son's birthday party. Really! A million. I'm not here judging the couple, but the feeling is that with these birthdays, more and more parents want to show other parents the biggest party they had or who spent the most. In the end, the best party will be the one where the budget was right. But are we not forgetting a little more to live life with children? Do we not want to fantasize or even show others what we can do and pay for? Won't your child have as much fun as if he happens to spend the afternoon of his birthday on a picnic in the park with the parents who play with him all the time?
What memories and nostalgia will we leave for our children?
And how to get out of this box? It's possible? I am meeting many families who are choosing to travel with their children on their birthday. Others who are going back to having that little party in the garage, or looking for a more sustainable approach with less plastics and processed foods. Worth the reflection. Sometimes, we are so on automatic that not having a party that costs a lot seems out of the ordinary. Out of the ordinary is this amount of exaggerated parties that we are experiencing.
Reflection texts and messages is what journalist Marcos Piangers has shared on his website and on social networks. He is the author of the book “Daddy is Pop”, and brings several messages that reflect on the way we are raising our children and how many parents have transformed themselves after the birth of their children and review their priorities. His testimonials will also come videos. In one of them, called “We will never get rich”, Marcos addresses the fact that some parents have reduced their workload to participate more in raising their children, even though this means earning less. Because, after all, we will never get rich anyway. Enjoying life with children is more important. Watch below:
Worth the reflection. Is there really so much happiness behind this children's party exaggeration?
Written by Angelica Weise from the Eu Sem Fronteiras team.
