Keeping Up With Birthdays
Today in the Sparrow Parents Podcast we talked about keeping up with birthdays throughout the year. Now, this is one of those things that I have just made a habit in January. It's one of the best ways that I plan for the new year, because it's so outward-focused. I really love making my friends' and family's birthdays a priority, because I want them to know how much I love them and appreciate them, and a birthday is just a great opportunity to show someone how much you love them.
I also really like it when my kids see me thinking about others and giving gifts and celebrating other people. I think it's really important for my kids to see me prioritizing other people, so they have a good idea of how to think about others before themselves too.
Today I shared 3 steps for you to consider while you're planning out how you will celebrate
birthdays this year. And when I talk about celebrating birthdays, I'm not just talking about your kids' birthdays and your spouse's birthday. I'm talking about all the birthdays. And I know that might seem overwhelming, because, well, it is... but my hope for this episode is that you will be able to make a plan for your year and
feel on top of birthdays, not rushing to the store 15 minutes before work to get a card for your boss or charging a Chuck-E-Cheese birthday party to your credit card because your son's birthday just
got away from you this year.
I want to encourage you to subscribe to our Sparrow Parents Podcast through your podcast player (iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, or any other podcast player app) so you don’t miss an episode! Here I’ll share with you some resources that I shared in today’s episode.
For the template I mentioned in the episode, click on the button below:
Print it off, and use it as you plan out the birthdays
that you are going to celebrate this year.
Here are some examples of what you might want to include on your list:
Who will you plan a party for
Who will will buy presents for
Who will you take out to dinner
Who will you make something for
Who will you buy a gift card
Who will you send cards to
Who will you want to simply be able to say “Happy Birthday” to
Who won't you do anything for (give yourself permission now to do nothing for some people. That's totally okay!)
These decisions will influence how far ahead of time you will need to start planning and preparing, and how much money you will need to have set aside for each occasion.
As I talked through Step 2 - Set Up Reminders, I mentioned several different things. I’ve linked to them below:
We all know how it feels when someone remembers our birthday and celebrates it with us, even in a
small way. I hope that this year you will be able to do that for some people who you may have inadvertently forgotten otherwise. Help your kids get involved by having them make hand-made cards and letting them hand the presents or cards to people. This will help them see the importance of putting others first.