The birthday party debate is coming full circle! Instead of
the previous (now demonized) competitions of high-end gift bags and exotic party
locales, it is now all the rage to see who can be the most selfless by making
your baby’s birthday about charitable giving and/or anti-consumerism. Amy Lutz
takes on the ‘no gifts please’ movement making the
point that, “. . . you can still be pro-gifts and anti-spoiling.”
This need to say no, does seem to be the response to the
birthday parties and gifts getting out of hand, which is a good thing. But also
as one reader pointed out, dictating anyone’s gift choice is, well, rude. Lutz
promotes another positive about shopping for the kiddos in the idea that our
children will learn to be gracious in the presence of an unwanted gift; and
that is a lovely sentiment, one that we all can agree is important. However, if
your kid is the greedy one who needs to have the reigns taken in because she’s
already demanding all the Barbies, it’s doubtful that lesson will be learned on
her birthday. But also as Lutz points it, the teaching of life lessons should maybe take a birthday break. There are plenty of other
days in the year to take on those issues. It’s like the time my friend let her
recently toilet-trained two-year old wear a diaper at her birthday party.
You’re not taking away the lesson by showing your little ones that they can
relax and enjoy their special day. What do you do readers? Show restraint? Or
have a free-for-all?
