As a child, I always felt bad for anyone I knew with a summer birthday. I couldn’t imagine anything worse than celebrating during the months between June-August when school was out and everyone went on vacation. How terrible it would be to see everyone with their birthday crowns and special treats throughout the scholastic year and have to settle for a half year party or a quick in class cupcake in May; in my eyes a tactful solution aka as a pity party so as not to leave anyone out. For these reasons and more, I promised myself when I was around 10 years old that I would never have a child with a summer birthday……and then I grew up.
Once I realized that you can’t always choose the month you get pregnant it all became quite ironic to me. I will never forget my first doctor’s appt confirming my pregnancy with my son when I heard the news. My estimated due date was August 21, which meant, yep, I was having a summer baby. ‘The worst timing ever,’ I thought. Right near the school cutoff, the hottest time of the year, and all I could envision was rain, humidity, mosquitos and pity cupcakes. But I had no other choice. So, rather than sulk in my sadness I decided to look at the positive sides and got over my fixation….. which has led me to where I am today. As an adult, as a mother of children with summer birthdays (yes, my second was born in July), I was forced to adopt a different outlook. And now, I think summer birthdays are actually quite amazing. Here is why:
POOL PARTIES
Yes, we live in South Florida. But even here, if your birthday is during the winter months, it can be a little chilly. I don’t know about you but I personally am not one to take a dip in non-heated water! Luckily, In the summer that is of no concern since we can rely on the scorching heat to solve that problem! Throw a few hot dogs on the bbq, some nice cold drinks in the cooler, provide water balloons and slip n slides and kids are in paradise. Simple, affordable and most importantly fun. Not easy to do in February😉
NO DRESSING DRAMA
We are blessed here in Florida to have mild temperatures year round. However, on the occasional winter day when the temperatures do dip down, trying to convince a toddler to bundle up isn’t always the easiest thing to do. ‘Put on your boots and coat’ just doesn’t have the same appeal or ease as ‘grab your swimsuit, we are heading to the pool!’ I believe Buffet says it best with his, ‘no shirt, no shoes, no problem’😊 And with one less thing to worry about, a toddler celebration is that much less difficult.
MORE AFFORDABLE
Does your child want to have a party at the most expensive place in town? Well you don’t have to break their heart and say no in the summer since you will probably only have a quarter of the invitees! Make their dreams come true and it won’t matter that only a few friends attend since the rest are most likely on vacation. What is better than killing two birds with one stone? You will save money while keeping your child as content as can be! Since in good parenting, it’s all about the compromise, right?
BETTER PRESENTS
If your birthday falls around the holidays it seems you always get jipped in some way. Halloween, no parent will be happy to see a piñata and come Christmas or Hannukah, kids are already on present overload! What else could they need? Summer is perfect because with no holidays around, enough time has passed to allow the wallet to recover, candy to be eaten and generosity is abundant!
MEMORABLE EVENTS
But perhaps my favorite reason of all is the fact that it is so much easier to make birthdays truly memorable. During the year, with school in session, it isn’t easy taking more than a day off for your birthday. Not the case in summer! You can plan a different vacation to celebrate each year. The memories will last forever since each new age can be celebrated while on a memorable getaway! 6th birthday in Disney for the week, 8th at a beach resort in Mexico, 10th while on a cruise in Alaska….what can beat that?!
Once I brainwashed myself into believing that there are so many reasons why having your birthday in the summer has great benefits, I came to accept it. Yes, the worries of red shirting a summer baby or feeling bad that they will never get to wear that crown for their actual birthday in school do sometimes linger, but they begin to diminish as time goes by and I realize it really isn’t so bad. Summer birthdays are fun!
Are you a summer baby or do you have one? Share the reasons why you love celebrating in summer!
