Flashback Friday - Birthday Memories

Welcome to Flashback Friday! In honor of my sister's birthday today, we're taking a look back at the birthdays of our childhood.

What were birthdays like when you were growing up? Were they a big deal or understated? Did you have parties? Get to choose what or where the family ate for dinner? Are there any particular birthday traditions that you remember? Is there any birthday that stands out (good OR bad!), either due to the events surrounding it or due to the particular present(s) you received?

I have always loved my birthday. Even today, when I'm much less excited about the addition of another digit to my age, the day just has a special feel to it. And it's not because I had lots of parties or anything; I've just always loved a "special occasion," as we called it in our family.

My mom did not like birthday parties. It was fine for me to attend them, but she couldn't handle sending what she considered a "bring me a present" invitation. (I'm thinking she also was a little concerned about what kind of gifts I might give, as she hated Barbie and most other trendy things.)

(I realize some of my posts make my parents sound like real ogres. They were nice people; they just had definite, ultra-conservatively Christian views about many things. But I digress.)

(I'm the first one on the left end of the couch.)
We (my siblings and I) were each allowed one party, which was for our 5th birthday. I remember being so excited that a friend gave me a Liddle Kiddle; they had just come out that year. But one thing completely puzzles me now. There was no such thing as preschool, so school was the beginning of the social environment for me (other than church activities). And our neighborhood had few kids my age. So looking at the picture, I have no idea how we knew to invite them since I hadn't gone to school yet! Only two of the kids that were there were from church. It's driving me nuts, and I can't even ask my mom about it! (For those new to my blog, she passed away about 18 months ago.) So that mystery will remain unsolved.

One major thing I remember from my birthdays was how mean my big sisters were. Oh, I kid. Sorta. See, my brother and both of my sisters were a good bit older than me (11, 9, and 7 years older). And all of them were born in the wee hours of the morning. However, I was born a little after 10:00 pm. So my sisters delighted in telling me each year that I wouldn't get to open my presents until the day after my birthday because I didn't change ages until after my bedtime. Of course, my mom didn't succumb to their wishes, but it still aggravated me to no end!

I remember that we generally got to choose the meal that my mom would fix. I almost always chose hamburgers. It was very rare for us to ever go out to eat, a treat generally that only happened when we were traveling. But there were a few years in my elementary days when I remember us going to Kip's Big Boy restaurant because my birthday hamburger was free and then heading to Baskin Robbins for my free ice cream cone afterward.

(Wow. I didn't know there were any Big Boy restaurants left but there are still a few left, although I think all the ones called Kip's are gone.)

The most memorable present I ever received was also on my 5th birthday. Although it's a wonder I'm not in therapy because of it! That was what I always called "my 5-year-old bed." I was so excited to get my very own twin bed. Because you see, um, I was still in the crib! When I got older, I teased my parents mercilessly. (And rightly so!) In their defense, we had a TINY house. (Is it an oxymoron to type tiny in ALL CAPS?! Gee, I've either turned into random Lid or My ADHD Me/Monkeys are Funny!) Anyway, it was about 1100 square feet, and my folks raised all four of us there, not moving until that time when I was in high school and the only one at home! I had apartments bigger than that house after I got out of college! It had three bedrooms. My brother had one, and he had a double bed. (My crib was in that room.) My sisters shared a double bed in their bedroom, and then my folks had theirs. Where would I go? I couldn't share a bed with my brother. I've said I guess they were hoping I would last in the crib until he went to college, when I would be seven! But finally, on my 5th birthday my dad came home from work and brought in a twin bed, which went in my sisters' room. There was hardly room to walk between the two beds, but it fit. It was also a bit of a problem because my sisters were 12 and 14 by this time, and they would need to study and it would be my bedtime. Many times I remember going to sleep on my brother's bed (I guess he was working at the grocery store.) and then being moved to my bed later. I did move into his room once he left home, but I slept in my 5-year-old bed all through high school and my parents finally got rid of it when I got married.

So that is more than I'm sure you ever wanted to know about my childhood birthdays, but I bet no one can top that birthday memory!

But I still want to read yours, so link your post here!

View blog reactions