The no-party birthday party

We've talked plenty about greening up birthday partieshere at EnviroMom. But what about not having them in the first place? I know -- crazy! I mean, what a big ol' joybuster. Kids need parties, right? It's all part of the whole childhood experience we're creating for them. Right? I dunno. My daughter is turning seven in a couple of weeks and it seems like we've been talking about her birthday party for a year. Well, actually we have. Every time she attends someone else's party, that's the party she wants to have. Bowling, roller skating, bouncy center, movie theater, rock gym, gymnastics center, etc. (Mind you it's November -- holding it outdoors in the pissing down rain isn't a great option.) So when it came time to plan her own she had to make some tough decisions. She really didn't want to have a party at home, as we'd originally planned, she wanted to have it someplace where she could invite a lot of friends. I explained that this type of party, since it would be a lot more expensive, would be her 'big' present.

Deep thought ensued.

I could see she was really conflicted about the decision, and I felt bad that I was making it hard for her, but darn it, spending $100-plus on a birthday party just isn't in the budget. My husband was appalled at the amount. He'd never had a birthday party growing up. I recalled only two parties under the age of 12, and I had two friends at each. I don't think I suffered as a result. So, I threw out a crazy idea: what if, instead of having a party, we have a mother-daughter adventure day. I'd just heard about this big aquatic center where they have these crazy slides and a wave pool and a rock-climbing wall. It's not a place we'd ever go to typically -- it's truly a destination. She thought it was the perfect idea. It's all she can talk about now. Daddy will hang with brother while she gets the full-on attention from Mom at a new, exciting place. We'll have a small family party with cake and presents and the standard at-school celebration, and that's it.

I don't know how 'green' this kind of celebration really is -- we're driving a ways out and no doubt this kind of aquatic extravaganza is a total energy suck. But what's cool is that this kid has embraced a different idea of celebration. She's rejected the norm and is trying something new. I'm thrilled, and it gives me hope that we can continue to experiment with new traditions in our family. Unless she decides the day before that this is a TERRIBLE idea and she really, really needs to have a party, I think this might be the best no-party birthday party ever! (Except for the part about me wearing a bathing suit.)