It was my daughter’s 5 birthday yesterday.

We did all her favourite thing:

  • opened presents
  • went to the local softplay
  • had curry for lunch
  • went to the playground
  • had ice cream in the park
  • made a plastercast unicorn she got from her uncle.
  • watch a couple of episodes of Paw patrol
  • had pizza for dinner

It was a real feast day.

Funnily enough, there’s a lot that we do often, but the combination of it all together really makes it stand apart. One of the challenges I wonder about, as a parent, is helping to keep things special.

There are things my kids can have every week (or even every day) that I only had a couple of times a year. On the one hand it’s great they live in this abundance, on the other hand I wonder if they don’t appreciate things in the same way.

It make me wonder about abstinence: not indulging often so we can appreciate things more when we do have them.

It requires patience (refusing cartoons can start a family civil war) and planning (having other activities and alternatives ready to go is a must) that make it far more work for us parents. But it helps to keep things more special.

And often the alternatives are better anyway.

This isn’t just true for parenting of course.