Happy Birthday Abhay!

Today’s date holds a momentous significance in recent history and well, I can that the same applies to my life too. Five years ago, on September 11^th, Abhay came into my life and life as I knew it, changed for good! While today is my son’s special day, I can’t help but wonder what this day means to us as parents. Does it mean that we have to celebrate this day with all pomp and splendor? Does it mean that we have to buy them expensive gifts to make them feel special on their D day? I must admit that I have done both and it does make your little one happy momentarily when the cake is brought and he sees the guests arriving with gifts. But it is also true that sometimes you get carried away in trying to make it perfect and then it becomes too perfect to be fun! This in turn yields more stress than smiles on your and your little one's face! So unlike his previous birthdays, this year, Abhay’s birthday was a low key affair with only his close family around. Believe me, it was much more fun without any added pressure of party-planning! 

With two of Abhay’s closest cousins, Anirudh and Aditya present for his birthday, I read “ The secret Birthday Message” by Eric Carle. As expected of all Eric Carle’s works, this book too had vibrant illustrations and striking designs. On the night before his birthday, a little boy is sent a note that contains a clue to his birthday surprise. The clues lies in a code of shapes and figures that he has to decipher in order to discover his gift. Along with the boy, I had Abhay, and his two cousins read out the note, name the shapes illustrated therein and correlate the shapes with the picture cutouts to reach the last page containing the surprise gift, like an armchair treasure hunt for kids. Of course, Abhay would have run out of patience if his own birthday message was as cryptic as the one in the book! Hmm…..this gives me an idea for his next birthday! :-) Anyway, for now Happy fifth Birthday Abhay!!!