This post was most recently updated on May 17th, 2015
There are many milestones in a person’s life – moments that change who you want to be or how you think or even how you live your life. There are the big moments, like living on your own for the first time or becoming a parent. But there are many smaller ones, too. I’ve always been a person who puts a lot of stock into the notion of recognizing and celebrating the special moments in life. Growing up, I marked some of my own special moments with private celebration – mostly because the rest of my family wasn’t all that impressed with events like my flawless lip-sync performance of Shaun Cassidy’s (now) classic hit “Da Do Ron Ron.” But it was a big deal to me so…. As a child, we had holiday celebrations, usually there was some sort of recognition for scholastic achievement or extra-curricular accomplishments, and birthdays were marked with gifts and cake. But the day to day moments – well, those were a bit overlooked. So when I got married and had children of my own, I vowed that I would take notice of and celebrate all the special moments in my kids lives …
Any-hoo … I like to preserve my family’s moments through photos and videos, my family blog, my journal. A couple years ago, I started a Memory Jar. Anyone in the family can write a special moment or event or even something funny or sweet that’s been said on a little notepad I keep by the jar and put it in. On New Year’s Eve (because with four kids it’s really impossible to imagine actually going out on New Year’s Eve), we take the memories out of the jar and read them, remembering all the fun times – and sometimes the sad or scary times – that we’ve had as a family that year. Sometimes, to celebrate especially nice weather, I’ll give the kids a free play day instead of having school – right there on a Tuesday morning! Or surprise them with little gifts from my shopping trip if they’ve been working really hard in school or keeping up with their chores without complaint. Home made pizza on a Thursday night to celebrate a lost tooth or a thunderstorm is one of everyone’s favorites.
So this month marks my oldest son’s 13th birthday. I won’t wax nostalgic about his rapidly vanishing childhood, or the fact that he is as tall as his father … much. I will say that this milestone, the anniversary of his birth, will be celebrated in the same manner which all birthdays are celebrated in our house: With a Week of (enter the birthday boy or girl’s name here). That’s right – everyone in my family, including our wire-haired dachshund Georgie, gets a full week of birthday fun and recognition. They get to choose the meals I cook, they get to choose if they get all their presents on their day or one each day of their week. They also get special privileges, sometimes a trip to a favorite place, they are told stories of their childhood and in general, made the focus of attention. My philosophy is: What could possibly be a more important event to celebrate than someone’s birth? The kids love it for obvious reasons – it’s their birthday so that means cake and presents. But beyond that, I believe it cements in their minds how important they are to our family, that they matter and their lives are worthy of recognition – in short: They are somebody special.
Beginning in July, we have a birthday every month through November. Since we put so much focus on the gift-giving and individual recognition during everyone’s birthday week, it’s easier for us to keep holiday focus where it belongs – on the holiday itself. By keeping our Christmas gift-giving to a minimum we can do more for those less blessed. And it opens up other opportunities for special memories throughout the holiday season: Every December 23, for instance, we put hot chocolate into go-cups, load up the family SUV and set out for a tour of all the holiday lights in our area.
However you celebrate birthdays or holidays or any day in your family, I hope you take the time to also celebrate the every day moments in your life and the lives of those you love. Every day brings a milestone of some sort – even if it’s as simple as hitting every green light on your way to work, and having a small reason to celebrate is better than not celebrating at all.
