Pater Familias … because I'm your FATHER!

Ghost of Birthday Party Past

January 20, 2010 · Help Pater | Influences | Suburban Survival

Kid's big day should be kid's, right?

As Child’s Seventh Approaches, Father Reflects, Prepares Self Spiritually

Among our zillion digi-pictures is a shot that says a lot about making kids cry at their own birthday parties.

The image dates to a small backyard gathering when Girl Child turned two. Almost sure it was two, anyway, because GC and CG (Circus Girl) -- best friend from when their mommies were preggo – were still clueless about how much fire hurts.   

That special day, her day, our smiling GC reached out to touch the pretty flames on her birthday cake candles. CG positioned herself to do the same. The girls will do so for all time, because that’s how the picture caught them.   

So where were the grownups? Wasn’t anybody watching?

Well, we were close-by, and watching closely. I had just lit the candles. DDivine, CG’s mama, stood by with her big-lens professional-grade Nikon. Minerva and CG’s papa Jon stood a little bit farther back.  

At this point things get all Rashomon. The grownups’ memories diverge, about how we happened to stand there like especially stupid mannequins while GC poked her fingers toward the flame.

Minerva says we just spaced out. In my recollection it had much to do with photographing the moment. Not the one we actually saw, but a cutie-pie classic, girls cakeside in party dresses, eyes all lit up with joy and candles and imminent sugar shock.  

DDivine would have gotten the shot, for sure. She’s amazing with that Nikon. Jon is an actual fashion photographer, and with those two around, Minerva and I always get stills suitable for framing.   

Another winner, I do believe, is what we waited for. And then, thank God, DDivine came to her senses and lunged and saved GC from worse than the hot boo-boo that she cried about only a little. A nanosecond before she lunged, DDivine shot our pic.

Immediately afterward we grownups laughed and laughed. Right now I’m smiling, but in a serious sort of way because another birthday approaches – Big Seven – which we’re all talking about in fuzzy sorts of ways that will eventually become a plan for a party.

This candle thing from five years back is heavy on the mind because I absolutely do not want our girl to get burned on her special day because her grownups screwed up – especially, especially not because they’re fixated on some image in their heads instead of what is.

Gotta do it for her, and nobody but.

Got birthday party wins, losses, near misses, tips?  

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