I realize I'm kind of a baby about birthdays. But I've always felt slighted when it came to birthdays. I've only spent a handful of birthdays at home my entire life--I've either been at a family reunion, traveling to a family reunion, at Girls' Camp or something of the sort. And while I acknowledge that my mother always put lots of effort into making sure people knew it was my birthday (making huge signs at Girls' Camp etc) and that Greg has put in an equal effort (ordering a cheese cake in Kansas for me to enjoy while traveling), I want a birthday like other people. Where the candles aren't an afterthought to the dessert already planned. Where I get to do what I want for the day and not what's convenient for the group. If you have a birthday in March, you have no idea what I'm taking about. You're like a white, middle class male: you cannot understand your privilege so just be quite.
After years of listening to me whine about my crappy birthday, Greg and my mom threw me a party this year at the reunion. Greg even hand wrote and addressed invitations. It was nice and I felt like a real person with a real birthday and not just a somewhat forced addition to the activities that every one else was doing.
They decorated. Greg made a cake just for me in addition to the dessert already served that night. We played games--the balloon game and the toilet paper game and we opened presents, which was a bit awkward because all the cousins, aunts and uncles, and a few of the 2nd cousins were watching but it was fun. I felt a bit of the privlege that March birthdays have.
I even spent the day before the party doing what I like to do--rock climbing, napping, chit chatting with the cousins. Definitely a pretty awesome birthday, almost as good as a March birthday ;)
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