I remember yesterday, the world was so young....

 And just like that, my son turned 20 and my daughter turned 14. He's practically a grownup, and she a teen.

Oh, the many birthdays we prepared for them when they were kids! With their birthdays just 3 days apart, we'd combine it into one and they wouldn't mind.

The most memorable party we did was the Angry Birds party. We prepared weeks in advance, with custom invitations and a pinata. He had friends over and they said it was the best party ever! Then we left the decors up for my daughter's birthday with the Titos and Titas.

At the other end of the spectrum was the birthday party that was supposed to be bigger and better. We rented a community centre hall for the occasion. But when the day came, we found that the keys did not open the hall! Rather, it opened a small reading room adjacent to it. What a disaster. We urgently called the office, who had to ask someone to come over and open the hall. But it would be over an hour before it was opened and guests have started arriving. 

We even rented a magician. We were obviously panicking. But the guests made themselves busy and the magician performed at the reading room instead.

When the hall finally opened, everyone helped set up chairs and prepped the food. After the birthday song, we finally had time to eat.

I had half a mind to ask for a rebate due to this inconvenience but it was too much hassle of an incident I would rather forget.

On a couple of occasions we went to an activities centre with ice skating, bowling, and arcade games. A much more convenient way to celebrate. The kids had fun, and so did the adults who would just sit and chat.

As they became older, children's parties gave way to intimate dinners either at home or in a restaurant, and the occasional small group gathering. It becomes more difficult (and more expensive) to plan parties for teens and grownups.

Looking back at these birthdays past, I do feel it is important to mark these special occasions, no matter how simple it may be. These are milestones that also help build happy memories which I hope the kids will treasure.

Time for some birthday wishes.

I wish for my son to be successful in his studies. May he find the passion to pursue his interests and go out more.

I wish for my daughter to have good friends, now that she is in middle school and in a new environment. May her passion for music and crafts flourish.

And may they both continue to have a love for maths. It will always come in handy.