THE 21st BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS BEGIN

Well, the 21st birthday celebrations have begun. BJ loves a celebration and always embraces his birthday with great gusto. As much as we love seeing him enjoying his birthday, I always feel pressure ‘to deliver’, which has become difficult as he has got older. What to buy and how to keep it age appropriate, while still making sure he has a good time, is the usual struggle.

In the back of my head I keep in mind a conversation I had with one of his after school carers when BJ was still quite young. The carer was a young guy and chatting to him I was lamenting what to buy for BJ’s birthday and how to keep it age appropriate. He put it all into perspective by reminding me that although an adult male, he (the carer) loved Superman and collected all kinds of memorabilia. So, although we’ve continued to try and find some things that are age appropriate, we embrace BJ’s current likes. At the moment, Minions rule! You’ll notice from the birthday décor that we went with that and let the 21st birthday celebrations begin with a family dinner.

Given that it is hard to find presents for BJ we usually put a bit of effort into other things. This year I had an idea for a Minion cake and AJ took that idea and ran with it.

AJ chose a design and got to work. I was thrilled with the outcome and realise that all the time spent watching Cake Boss has paid dividends. AJ is a pro with fondant after watching the cooking show.

She once told me cheekily, “See, watching TV is educational!” I’m yet to see the value of all the hours watching Disney channel but we’ll see.

BJ was thrilled with the cake and happily took AJ’s help to cut the cake.

Present buying was still difficult this year. I scoured stores for anything new or different. A television with an inbuilt DVD player was his main gift. He also received books, DVDs and some Minion figures. His grandparents gave him some money which he always likes but he was definitely keen to open up packages.

Next up is the party. We weren’t planning on a party but we felt there was no choice. Watching BJ’s excitement at his mate’s 21st earlier this year it was apparent that he would love a party. I think he may spontaneously combust with the excitement but it will be lovely celebrating the last 21 years with all those that have helped make them special.

A big thank you to everyone that left messages on our Facebook page. I sat reading them to BJ last night after our celebration was over.  It was truly wonderful to see messages from all around the world and to know that BJ’s story has touched so many.

I wrote a post last year, Gift Buying – Age appropriate or not  , which may also be of interest.