Birthdays Are Special

Your child's birthday is just around the corner, and you and your family are having fun planning the big party. That is, until you check the calendar and realize on what day of the week your child's birthday falls—a Monday. Don't fret! Parties can't always be scheduled on your child's birthday. Here are a few ideas for you and your family to make the actual day even more fun and unique!

Just from Me to You

Have you told your child how happy you are that she was born? Or how glad you are that he is a part of your family and your life? Here are some fun and heartfelt ways to let your kids know just how important they really are to you.

• Pull out the baby pictures and reminisce about all the cute things your child has done. Tell favorite stories about these family moments as you cuddle up together.
• Children love to hear their own birth stories! Make a habit of reciting your child's first moments of life each year during your child's birthday dinner, before or after gifts, or as your child wakes up or goes to sleep.
• Create a list of all the things you like about your child. Read the list while you are all gathered together for a meal at the dinner table.
• For a younger child, create a colorful hat or badge to be worn on his or her birthday—artistically made by Mom or Dad!
• Make and give your child "coupons" allowing him special opportunities, such as a movie date with Mom or an ice cream date with Dad.
• Keep a birthday scrapbook and collect cards, bits of wrapping paper, or photos from each of your child's birthdays. Bring the book out once a year for you and your child to sit and enjoy together—each year you'll cherish this familiar trip down memory lane.

Birthday Interview

We appreciate the memories that make our families unique. Your own distinctive rituals will act as reminders of times shared together and add to your child's sense of belonging. Every year when one of my own children's birthdays comes around, I conduct a mini interview on audio tape. I ask questions like, "What would you like to be when you grow up?" and "Tell me about our family." These fun tapes now are now "instant replays" of fun moments we've shared together.

You can do the same! Ask your child to tell you about school, family vacations, and other significant events from the previous year. Date and save these interviews from birthday to birthday. My kids think their responses from younger years are hilarious—your kids will also enjoy seeing how they've changed their responses over the years.

As a variation of this, use a camcorder and videotape the interview. Parents who scrapbook may also want to transcribe a child's answers and put them on a page in her birthday album.