My husband thinks I’m crazy.

“Why do you even need to celebrate her birthday party? She’s only two,” he said. “She is way too young to remember.”

He sees me buying stuff for her lootbag. I am very happy with my purchase:

From left to right, I’ve prepared a small cute sling bag, ball that lights when it hits the floor, a large coloring book, a Big Book of English Words, a spill proof tumbler, a set of 8 jumbo crayons, plastic letters and numbers, and a spoon/fork/chopsticks set. Basically, stuff I’d like to gift my own child. 

It’s always been a pleasure for me to share life’s blessings. I’ve always prided myself as a good gift giving person, so in a way, preparing all of these for my daughter’s classmates/friends also give me joy. 

I also bought a simple chocolate cake and took out McDonald’s Happy Meal for the class. Even though they’re still very young, they’re never too young to munch on french fries and drink pineapple juice.

I know that at 2, my daughter may be way too young to remember. However, I still celebrate her birthday because of the following reasons:

1. I want her to remember that her birthday is a day of joy, and she’s worth to be celebrated.

Even as I near mg 40s, I still make a big deal out of my birthday. No matter how husband insists that I not make a big deal out of his birthday, I have always insisted that he makes a big deal with mine. 

This reinforces self worth. 

You may or may not agree with me, but for one day a year, it’s my birthday, and I get to selfishly celebrate it however I want. Any other day is a non issue, but come my birthday, I want my loved ones to make an effort to celebrate my birth.

So husband makes plans even though he’s more of a spontaneous person. 

I get a nice gift that I don’t get everyday.

I eat a nice dinner with people I love and get to choose where to go, with less thought on budget. That’s why I scour blogs looking forward to that one restaurant I can try and splurge on during my birthday. 

And I feel very very special at least one day a year.

I want my daughter to insist that her significant other make a big deal out of her birthday too. I don’t want him to take her for granted. So now, while I still can, I will make her feel special on her birthday. So that when I am gone, she will also insist that such tradition is continued.

2. Yes, I want her to feel equal to her classmates.

When I was young, I used to be jealous of my classmate’s new pencilcase. I wanted to hold it because I didn’t have one. At thay time, these types of pencil cases were so damn cool: 

1980s babies would know why these were a big deal back then. 

No matter what you say, schools can be very cliquish. There are kids who have the new pencil cases and the kids who are looking yearningly over the pencil cases.

There’s always those kids who gave the best parties and the nicest loot bags. We don’t really care who they were, but we waited in anticipation for a birthday invite because we know attending it meant the coolest prizes and lots of nice games.

In short, I don’t want her to be a loser kid.

I want her other classmates to still give her some recognition and to remember that on her birthday, daughter gave her something nice as a token of friendship.

3. It’s also a way of thanks for a year of friendship.

Related to what I mentioned above, I want my daughter to show her appreciation for a year of friendship.

These are her classmates who see and play her everyday. Most of them will eventually be her friends. 

On their birthday, my daughter gets a nice lootbag from them, also lovingly painstakingly prepared by the parents. Sometimes, when the parents are there, she also gets some special treat.

My daughter’s birthday celebration is a way for us to give back for everything she’s received the entire year from others. A sort of thank you for everything they’ve done for her. Now’s our time to give back. 

4. It’s precious time with my daughter I won’t be able to get back.

I work so I’m mostly very busy in the daytime. Usually, I only have evenings reserved for my daughter.

On her birthday, I make time for her.

I wake up super early to prepare everything. 

And while other mothers do this every day, I can’t so I take time on her birthday to celebrate it with her and make it a big deal. 

She smiled widely when she saw me. 

I know she is happy and surprised when she saw me in school.

“Mami,” she said as she grabbed my hand. 

She doesn’t let go of my hand. She’s very happy to see me there. 

And that is why I am there to celebrate her birthday. Because no matter how busy we are, we still make time for those special moments. 

5. This is one way I show my love.

I may be the most dense and useless mother you may know. But in these moments, I take the time and effort to show her I love her. 

This is one of those times. 

Happy birthday my love!