I know birthdays are big, especially for the first few years and I also know they are expensive too.
Every time I hosted my little girl's birthday party I felt burnt out. Planning, organising, picking the venue, making the guest list, planning the return gifts, planning the snack and checking for all the allergies for the guest list, theme and the colour for the party, designing the invite, RSVP the guest, ordering the cake, then the big day, photoshoot, hoops I forgot the preparty shopping for the family, at the end of it all the finale the "Big Fat Bill". The best part I would end up feeling like an event planner and always considered the next professional business.
Well, this year we did a mindful birthday. Of course, we missed family and friends, merry and pompous but no regrets the birthday bash was fun and memorable. We planned a road trip, a 600km drive from Bangalore, Karnataka to Alleppey, Kerala. God’s own county rightly said “Kerala” is a delight to visit every time. We explored the local delicacies, new language, boathouse, elephant camp, temples and churches and made new friends. But the learning/experience for us started when we had to pack for the trip, what essentials do we need to carry? map the journey on Google, find places to stay and dine during the drive, research other places we can visit during our stay. Through the trip, she journaled how the landscape changed from city to countryside and the roof of houses were designed differently in Kerala, how people wore different clothes and spoke another language, she also noticed the sea sand at Alleppey was different from the other beaches and there were few shells to collect the beach.
As an educator/mother, I believe what better way to teach a child by letting them experience and explore the world around them. So swap expensive gifts with experiences! Gift your child memories because that is what will stay with them forever.
Josephine Kiran Raj