Birthday Week

When to celebrate a third birthday? Officially, it falls on Tuesday. Presents before going to the childminder? Seems a bit harsh. Presents when Pete gets home an hour before bedtime? Even more so.

Bernard has his own ideas: if asked when his birthday is, he will tell you it’s when he goes to Legoland to drive the car. So Pete took him on Thursday afternoon. I’ve just checked, and he says he’s still two, but he’ll be three next week. When he goes to Legoland to go on the car. You’ve already been on the car, I tell him. Your birthday is on Tuesday, and they you will be three. When I go on the car, he adds. And then, When I have my party.

Uh… party? Ah. We thought this was probably the last year that we could get away without having a Birthday Party. Not all the parents in our group agree, so we are going to Third Birthday Parties on Friday AND Saturday. And the other little boy who goes to the same childminder is three today, so they are having a party on Wednesday. Three years: three parties, and I don’t have to do any of them.

But this does not resolve the question of when to give him his presents. In fact he has already received three books from his Uncle Nick, about a month ago. There are three more items in the garage, one of which is a second-hand bike that a friend has loaned me for a year, so I’m not sure if that one really is a birthday present. Although if it’s not, then Pete and I haven’t got him anything yet.

Personally, I like a birthday that runs and runs; but then I’ve got a good grasp of the concept of birthdays, so it doesn’t matter if the celebration and/or presents are diluted a bit by being spread out over a week or more. But we don’t seem to have much choice, or any decisive powers, so here’s how the birthday will be celebrated:

Thursday: Legoland (check)
Saturday: going out for lunch and clothes shopping. Can we give him new pants for his birthday? Bernard says he wants a suit.
Sunday: presents in the morning, cake for afternoon tea, music all day.
Tuesday: Actual Birthday. Probably a bit of a low-key day.
Wednesday: Childminder party.
Friday: Toby’s birthday party.
Saturday: Visit from Grampy and Josh’s birthday party.