Throwing a surprise party for an inanimate object for the second time this year is something I never thought I'd be doing. The first was for Terry the turtle (a soft toy), about a month ago. This time it was Pinkie Pie's 5th birthday (not really, just in Sasha's head). I made it very clear that there wouldn't be a third time. I became mega snappy and stressy in the lead up to the big event (even more so than usual, ahem). However, as our family of four played musical chairs (cushions, to be precise) in our lounge I struggled to suppress the giggles at the insanity of it all.
My Little Pony is Sasha's latest craze (she doesn't get obsessed with things as such, but loves them for quite a while before moving on). As interests go, I think this one has been a good for her. The Ponies teach good morals and in particular all about good friendships, which is a subject which doesn't come as naturally to Sasha as it does to her peers. I'm sure she's learnt a lot of life skills, and songs, from the Ponies. I'm not quite sure how she came across them (ahem, YouTube), but in a way I'm quite pleased that it was independently, and not via her older sister.
It turned out that baking a special party cake was the least of my worries; after that I had the pass the parcel and the birthday presents to help wrap up. Then the bunting and general decorations to hang, and balloons to blow up.
Last, but by no means least, was the birthday tea. All pink for Pinkie, of course.
I stopped short of buying another Pinata like the one we'd had at Terry's party, but apart from that this was pretty much close on a full blown party, minus the extra guests. Last time, before Terry's party I had had to quietly explain to Sasha that it wasn't possible to invite other children at very short notice to a made-up birthday party. She was disappointed, but luckily took it very well.
So why do I go along with these spontaneous, lovely, but time-consuming and very detailed ideas?
Last, but by no means least, was the birthday tea. All pink for Pinkie, of course.
I stopped short of buying another Pinata like the one we'd had at Terry's party, but apart from that this was pretty much close on a full blown party, minus the extra guests. Last time, before Terry's party I had had to quietly explain to Sasha that it wasn't possible to invite other children at very short notice to a made-up birthday party. She was disappointed, but luckily took it very well.
So why do I go along with these spontaneous, lovely, but time-consuming and very detailed ideas?
Firstly, because if we didn't, the day would be ruined, as Sasha's level of upset is much beyond that I've seen from any other child.
Secondly, I think it helps to let her use her imagination to develop social situations akin to real-life, even if they are somewhat staged.
Finally, and most importantly, it makes Sasha happy. It's worth it all for this smile.
