Karoline turned two on March 1, right before the pandemic really turned life upside. She had a party at The Little Gym with all her friends, we had cake. . .the whole nine yards. Kane, on the other hand, turned seven on June 7, during the pandemic. All he had talked about for months was having a sleepover for his birthday party. He was so excited, and I knew it just wasn’t going to be able to happen.
A couple of months out, I started preparing him to not expect a sleepover or one of his traditional birthday parties. He typically has birthday parties at Monkey Joe’s with 25+ friends. Even at his age, he knows that the virus is dangerous and understood why we might not be able to have a party.
Right before Kane’s birthday, Kentucky eased their guidelines for gatherings. So we decided to get creative.
First, we had Kane a birthday parade so that any of his friends who wanted to wish him a happy birthday could. I mean, did you really celebrate a birthday during quarantine if you didn’t have a birthday parade?haha Honestly, this is such a sweet gesture that I hope it becomes a tradition for years to come. To make this a success, I suggest having the cars line up near your house. Have a “lead car” designated with balloons or a sign so that everyone knows to follow the leader. We had everyone meet in a parking lot by our house, and it turned out great!
Second, we did have Kane a very small get-together in our backyard. That way the kids could play without being right up in each other’s faces. We did water guns and bubbles for everyone. We had cake BEFORE the party with our family, because I didn’t feel comfortable serving food at the get-together. Instead, we had the local sno cone truck show up, that way everyone could have an individual treat.
Y’all, I was so surprised, but Kane actually proclaimed this as his best birthday ever! He loved it!!! As a momma, I was so worried he would be disappointed on his birthday. But kids are WAY more resilient than we give them credit for. If you have a kid celebrating a birthday during this pandemic, work to frame any changes to typical birthday celebrations in a positive way. Your kids will follow your lead. Think outside the box, and come up with safe ways to celebrate.
