Birthdays

Nigel turned eight today - EIGHT! That means we've been parents for EIGHT years, amazing! I still feel the same as the day he was born - a bit more tired, a slight headache, but nothing serious. In actual fact, and I counted the candles, it was eight long years ago. And now he talks back, argues, bargains, negotiates, ignores - all the things he didn't do 8 years ago. Growing up is overrated - if I had a choice of re-filling in that application form, I wouldn't have ticked the box next to "Do you want child to grow up?".

So we had a little "unorganised" party, both in a planned and unplanned way. We took a bunch of his school friends and drove them all the way to a play area in Jurong to run around, go crazy, have lunch, eat some birthday cake, terrorize the younger children. Then, we took everyone back to the east again. It was a very noisy and nerve-wrecking 5 hours.

The car ride was almost as noisy as the play-area, and we had a little preview of some foul-language, verbal sparring, socks throwing that apparently boys do when they get-together. I was the driver trying not to get so distracted and swerve into the road divider while funny combinations of weird words (some involving parts of the human body) were strung together and said out loud. Celest, I could tell, couldn't decide if she should be laughing, crying, or just focusing on covering Amber's ears. 30 mins there and back - an hour of what it is like in a classroom of an all-boys school - just missing the spinning erasers.

Birthday parties, I have to admit, are tiring endeavors to set-up. They require planning, money, and a certain willingness to put oneself through mental stress and torture. And we go through this 3 times a year! I'm sure many parents go through more, and I kow-tow to them. End of the day, it's all for the love of our children - trying to make their big day enjoyable, fun and memorable. Maybe that little spark of happiness, cake and chaos with friends will live in his mind for the rest of the year and prompt him to treasure his parents, and be a little more obedient. One can only wish.

Also, it was to celebrate our 8th year of parenthood. The anniversary of the day our lives turned upside down.