In Canada,\u00a0a birthday party is a huge issue for a child who is between the ages of five and ten. Since she came to Canada three years ago, one of the excitements that my daughter is anticipating every year is her birthday party.\u00a0 Over the last three years, Vive has received more than 20 birthday party invitations from her friends and she did not miss a single one.<\/p>\n
Now, her 10th<\/sup> birthday is approaching. She has been excited, thinking about how to plan and prepare. After attending numerous parties, she has developed sufficient knowledge and skills in planning, designing and running her own. I, who used to take full responsibility and be in charge, have gradually moved to a secondary position, to be her assistant. Planning an event like a birthday party isn\u2019t easy; there are seven steps: first, list the people you like to invite, write, design the card and send out the card. Second, figure out the location of the party. Third, brain storming what kind of activities, programs, games to implement. Fourth, what kind of food will be provided? Fifth, how many assistants you can find to help you out, and who is doing what. Sixth, planning and shopping for the gift bags. Seventh, keep the budget in mind, and carry out the show.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Three years ago, the concept of a birthday party was new for us who had come from China. Back home there is no such thing as a birthday party for a child. Chinese hold birthday parties for the elders who are over the age of 60. However, in order to encourage her to make friends and mingle with other kids of her age, I have supported and encouraged my daughter to participate. At the same time, I have had to learn how to organize and run a party with her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a0Vive has always enjoyed her friends’ birthday parties. Every time, upon returning home, she shares what happened and what fun activities she enjoyed such as making pizza, dying the hair, going to the movie theater, dress up game, treasure hunts,\u00a0etc. From her stories, and experiences, I sense a part of Canadian culture: being creative, exploring ideas, making friends, and enjoying life.<\/p>\n There are many benefits of attending this kind of activity. For example, Vive has made many friends during the last three years and\u00a0 has been able to engage with all of them naturally and actively while at the same time she is able to develop many practical\u00a0 skills such as: designing the projects, cards, organizing\u00a0 events, shopping according to the budget etc. etc.\u00a0 She has developed applicable social skills by participating, attending her friend\u2019s parties and by planning and running her own parties, I believe those soft skills will benefit her in the long run.<\/p>\n On the other hand, I see some\u00a0negative effects of the birthday party phenomenon:\u00a0 the time and money that is consumed\u00a0and many gifts are wasted.\u00a0 If we do the math,\u00a0when one child invites 8 friends for her party, if these 8 friends attend each-other’s parties in the course of the year there are 64 gifts in total. It is certainly costly and not necessary. \u00a0Birthday parties also tend to validate and encourage the ego- the “small me”, and concept of self-absorption. The birthday party which is run by the parents may be appropriate for a child from five to ten years old, but it may not be an ideal activity when the children become older.\u00a0<\/p>\n Considering that our children have reached the age of being capable of running their own show, I wonder whether we might develop a new platform, a different kind of party for them to stage: A Friendship Party.\u00a0 On the one hand, this type of party is still able to maintain the positive sides of the birthday party, such as encouraging them to extend friendship, to explore, be curious, be creative, while at the same time, lead them to pay attention to other\u2019s needs, to understand that friendship is the core value of the party. The friendship party is for the purpose of celebrating the connection, love, participation, and for having fun.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n So here is my suggestion:<\/p>\n 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Instead of celebrating every child\u2019s birthday, we celebrate one friendship birthday for all the children\u2019s birthday \u00a0at one time, every year.<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Each child just brings one gift to exchange with others.<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Location: It could be held in a local Park, a place children can play and run.<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Time: late spring, since spring symbolizes new life, and a new beginning.<\/p>\n 5.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Parents are encouraged to participate, spend a few hours, relax, and get to know their children\u2019s friends parents.<\/p>\n \u00a0Parenting has never being easy; we have put much effort into cultivating our children\u2019s character, skills, and knowledge by devoting our time and energy. As parents, we desire to bring out the best in all our children; we can certainly walk along the way with our children and children\u2019s parents. One thing for sure about parenting is we will never feel bored. Parenting can be fun; that is the lesson that I have learned from my daughter.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In Canada,\u00a0a birthday party is a huge issue for a child who is between the ages of five and ten. Since she came to Canada three years ago, one of the excitements that my daughter is anticipating every year is her birthday party.\u00a0 Over the last three years, Vive has received more than 20 birthday […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1001018,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-parentingchildrenandtheclassroom"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n