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Half Birthday Celebration - Thanks BM

VENUS452's picture

SS started Kindergarten this year and was introduced to half birthdays. His teacher celebrates half birthdays for the kids who have birthdays over the summer. Well SS really likes the idea of having a half birthday and has been counting down the days until he can say he's six and a half! I think it's cute that he's so excited, but I didn't dream this would be something we would have to celebrate.

Today is SS's half birthday. BM left Monday for a three week vacation...but conveniently failed to mention to DH and I that she promised SS we would be getting him gifts and doing something special for him today. So SS woke up nice and early this morning and came into our room wondering what we had planned for him today (thinking he was going to skip school) and what we got him. When DH explained to him that we don't celebrate half birthday's he was really upset and told us that "Mommy promised you would!" THANK YOU BM!

Now I don't know if this half birthday celebration is becoming a thing in households, but I am not about it AT ALL. We have enough gift giving holiday's as it is. However, part of me wants to run to Target on my lunch break and get him a gift and such just to save face! I am so tired of being made out to be the bad guy. Of course I won't because that won't teach him anything and we're not about to start the tradition in our house.

It just makes me so mad. I shouldn't be surprised by this crap anymore, but it still gets to me. Only a lifetime to go!

No saint's picture

Maybe the 3 of you could bake a cake together after school and have it as a dessert... On the other hand, that's opening a precedent alright!

ClutterMusings's picture

Hate this idea. Thankfully, it hasn't made it's way around here yet. Wonder if Pinterest has inspired this horrendous idea? I would def say that
half b'days is just a school thing, not a home thing and that you will have a special day once a year on your actual birthday.

Don't even get me started on Elf on the Shelf....

VENUS452's picture

I'm with you on Elf on the Shelf. I REFUSE to participate in that. It creeps me out!

BethAnne's picture

I might let him pick out what he wanted to eat for dinner and maybe a game you could all play together? But I wouldn't buy anything special. Let him know that if he wants to do something at your house he needs to talk to you two about it and not BM.

luchay's picture

WOW, that's insane and illogical. If I was sending in homemade cupcakes for MY kids birthday they'd hardly be drugged or bloody poisoned would they LOL

As for listing ingredients - we just have to state if they have nut or egg in anything we send in here. (Australia) There is less likely to be crap in homemade stuff!

AllySkoo's picture

LOL! No, I wouldn't do anything for him. Maybe sing "A Very Merry UnBirthday" at dinner, but that's it.

Careful though - 6 year olds lie! Oh yes they do! BM might not have said any such thing. Just yesterday my 6 year old told me "Dad said I could have a Popsicle". I asked DH and he had no clue what the boy was talking about, he'd never asked his dad at all! He just figured if he said "Dad said it was OK" that I'd go along with it. *eye roll* My son got sent to bed early for lying, but in a divorce situation that crap is a LOT easier for kids to get away with! (My SDs used to lie like they breathed.)

GhostWhoCooksDinner's picture

BM always celebrated the skids' "half birthdays." Effing ridiculous. "Oh, you're nine and a half today! Hooray! You've existed twelve and a half years! Whoo hoo!"

It's just an excuse for yet another gift grab and child adoration session.

Honestly, I did celebrate when my own son turned six months old, but that's an infant, and that's the only time a half birthday happened.

It's no wonder the skids expect to be worshipped for existing. And no wonder they expect a pile of gifts for Easter, St. Patrick's Day, Mother's Day...I shit you not, they get presents on Mother's Day instead of gifting BM.

VENUS452's picture

Yep! It's absolutely ridiculous!! SS asked me this year what I got him for Valentines Day?!?! I never got gifts on those kinds of holidays. It's getting out of control!

jumanji's picture

Well, wait. You (and Dad) KNEW there was an expectation. So it's not all on Mom for the kid being disappointed. You all KNEW. Dad should have let his kid know from the get-go that this doesn't happen on his home. Dad is the one you should be angry with.

Cover1W's picture

SD11 is obsessed with her half birthday. Yes, from the school idea. No one cares. We ignore it and she can talk about it but it's not celebrated anywhere or how outside her head.