My oldest (Simon) turns 10 this week.
A decade has gone by in the blink of an eye. And I don’t want to blink again because when I open my eyes another decade will have passed and my baby boy will have become a man.
Our children are only children for such a short amount of time….it very much makes my heart ache to think about it…how will I ever let them grow up?
As Simon’s birthday approached this year my husband and I did a lot of talking. We really wanted to make his birthday special…but as always money is tight…how were we going to celebrate and make him feel important and loved without being able to buy him things like ipads? (Such things are a big deal to 10 year olds.)
So we thought and we talked and we thought and finally we came up with a plan.
We are calling this week “Simon Week” (You know…like Shark Week…alright, anyways…) and everyday this week we are doing something special for Simon.
Here’s the plan:
MONDAY: Let him stay up past bedtime and watch a show of his choice from Netflix.
TUESDAY: He gets to choose what we have for dinner.
WEDNESDAY: He gets to eat chocolate donuts for breakfast.
THURSDAY: We will have a campfire in the fire pit in the back yard. And play his favorite fire pit game…”Will it Burn?”
FRIDAY: He gets to go camping with just his dad on an overnighter.
*****
I know…it’s not extravagant or mind blowing…but it’s our plan none the less…and yesterday we put the plan into effect. Simon got a card at dinner time with the plan written in it. And guess what? He loved it.
He loved it even more when his sisters had to go to bed and he got to stay up with my husband and I and watch one of his Tornado documentaries while we all ate chips and salsa.
It was a great night. And he went to bed happy.
It’s no ipad, that’s for sure…but he went to bed happy. And we had one on one time with our boy. Tomorrow he gets to pick dinner and he already put in his order….spaghetti. Again, it’s no ipad…but he’s happy.
This may be the last time we can do something like this with our Simon…he will be 11 next year after all….but until then we are going to enjoy the week…and save up for next year!
-liZ
PS: Two things so that you don’t think we are the worlds worst parents (even if we are)—-#1. We watch Simon carefully while he conducts his “Will it Burn?” fire pit “game” and make sure he doesn’t put anything dangerous into the fire….and #2. We are still getting Simon a few small gifts for his birthday…so he isn’t condemned to only just spaghetti and chocolate donuts….although I’d settle for spaghetti and chocolate donuts….yuuummmm…..chocolate donuts….
Your birthday plan sounds awesome! It’s creative and fun. Your son will remember his birthday week his whole life.
That sounds awesome. I think that’s some great parenting !
Dont feel guilty about not getting him an ipad, honestlyt he best Christmas I ever had was when I only got s few small presents ; the biggest being an arts and craft set mostly consisting of construction paper.
Happy birthday week to Simon! We’ll be over Wednesday morning in time for breakfast!!!!
Honestly, in 20 years when he looks back, he will remember the time he spent with you guys and the ways that you made his birthday week so special more than he will any gifts he gets. Sure, kids like to have the latest gadgets and the stuff that all of their friends have, but knowing how deeply one is loved and how important they are to their family trumps all of that any day.
I’m in my early 40s and the things I remember most about my birthdays is the fact that my mom baked and decorated a cake for me and I always got to pick out whatever I wanted for dinner. And the things that I remember most about Christmases were the times when we had fun foods to snack on and we played all kinds of games together as a family.
I think you and your husband are very wise indeed.
I love this idea! Simon will have these awesome memories for the rest of his life 🙂
Such a fun idea! Birthdays are about making people feel special. (PS Harts has the best chocolate donuts. I know. Some may turn up their noses at gas station donuts. But their chocolate donuts with the fully coated chocolate frosting are amazing.)
No need to explain yourself! My only recommendation–no aerosol cans in the fire! I know–DAH! My grandpa almost got his ear blown off (or something like that) when a can got into the “burnable” trash and exploded (or something like that) while we sat at the camp fire. 🙂 What you are doing for Simon is AWESOME! I wish more parents put thought into the gifts/time spent with their children vs. buying them all the fancy toys (and) the moment they hit the stores. Some people choose to do the big birthday parties every year. We “brainwashed” our girls early into LOVING their birthday with just mom, dad, and sister. They pick the dinner, the cake (of course), ice cream and we have dinner, gift time, and cake in that order. They also get to choose what to do ON their birthday. Skating, movie, etc.
Such a fantastic birthday week! I feel like my kids get way too much STUFF and not nearly enough one-on-one attention. My son would probably love this (he’s 8)…especially the stay up past bedtime one! Happy Birthday Simon!
Happy Simon week! Love these ideas and memories you’re building.
Oh goodness… you are FAR from the world’s worst parents! This is a brililant idea. We have an almost 15 year old who doesn’t have an ipad. Or iphone. or even her own computer.
And you know, I think she would totally still appreciate a week like Simon’s!
That is such a great idea.
I love this.
And I bet he feels loved.
~M
What a wonderful birthday week. He’ll remember it far longer than an he would had remembered being given an iPad.