Problem Birthday

Some kids have birthday problems; that is to say, their birthdays occur at inopportune times. Some coincide with religious or national celebrations like Christmas or Thanksgiving so that the special day gets overtaken by the holiday.

Solutions to such problems often appear out of nowhere. Recently I learned that in many preschools and elementary schools, there are half-birthday celebrations. During the month of February, not only are the children who were born in that month feted, but so are all the kids who have birthdays during the summer months.

These kids have long suffered since summer vacation away from school has existed. Either they or all their friends are away at camp or on a family vacation that day when a crowd should have come over to make a mess, eat cake and play pin the tail on the donkey. Throwing a party in July or August is a lonely celebration. No Moms bringing cupcakes for snack or pizzas being delivered to school for lunch. Thank goodness for half-birthdays so all the summer birthday children can have proper celebrations.

My father had a summer birthday; August 26th to be exact. Somehow, I don’t think that this caused him any great consternation. When he was a small boy, I doubt that my immigrant grandmother thought about bringing knishes to share with his classmates or even the neighborhood kids. In fact, although I know where he went to junior high and high school, I don’t know where my father went to kindergarten. It must have been a public school somewhere in Brooklyn. My grandparents were concerned about survival. The family was the center of the world. School was a place for books and paper and pencils. Cupcakes and pizzas celebrating kids’ birthdays are a modern tradition.

Now that I’ve learned about half-birthdays, I realize that I am not up to date with the latest and most practiced customs for children. My oldest child is turning twenty three this week. Things seem to change very rapidly as I get older. What will they think of next?