Your Child's Birthday...Priceless!

I heard on the news last weekend that a couple was spending $50,000 for their child's first birthday party! The reporter went on to tell about the full buffet that would be offered the adults, while the children could enjoy all the toys and rented equipment that would be brought in for the special day. I wish I could document who these folks were and where they were from, but I was blown away by the story and thought there would be a twist at the end saying it was all a joke. Not true, it went on to tell of other parents that were also spending huge amounts of money on their toddlers, so the children would look back some day and realize just how much mommy and daddy loved them! Excuse me, but what is their definition of love?!
Back when we were planning our children's birthday parties, we went by the simple formula of inviting one friend for every year that the child was celebrating. For example, if the child was one, we would have one friend over for a small party. At age two, there would be two friends, at three, three friends and that would continue as the child aged. It kept expectations within reason and that was about all our child could handle.
One fun tradition we did was to take a picture of our child at each birthday, sitting in approximately the same place each year. As a mere one year old, they could barely 'sit' in a huge overstuffed chair, but as they grew, they would sit tall and proud and assure us that they were one year closer to leaving the 'nest'. That's what birthdays are for...to remember the miracle of birth and celebrate the wonder of tomorrow. That to me is priceless.

PS: Check out Kaboose.com for other simple ideas for birthdays!