Patch’s birthday

Ask any small child and they will tell you that birthdays are Very Important. Patch has been anticipating his birthday since last September when Link had his birthday. Birthdays are surrounded by ritual and Patch has been waiting and waiting to be the center point of the rituals. Interestingly Patch has not planned out all the details of his birthday rituals. It is crucial that he have a birthday party, but when I ask him what he’d like for a party theme, he doesn’t know. There must be a cake, but he shrugs when I ask him what it should look like. Class treats are a must, but I had to corner him to get him to decide that cupcakes would be an acceptable choice. It is the evidence of worth, of love, that Patch desires. Oh, and also Bakugan. Had there not been Bakugan among the presents, life would have been sad. Heroscape was another present must-have.

The rituals began yesterday and will continue in pieces for most of the week. The ritual of cake, singing, and present opening for our family was a joint affair shared by Patch and Howard. Patch did the cake decorating, which meant that the frosting had a distinct crunch due to excessive number of sprinkles. Today Patch got all the recognition he could desire from school. He came home becrowned with paper and clutching a swirled lollipop courtesy of the PTA. Each birthday child gets one of these candied treasures and Patch has been awaiting his turn. Tomorrow I’ll take cupcakes in to his classroom. Friday will be the shiny party with friends. (Theme still to be determined.)

So far I think we’re doing well in executing the proper rituals. I don’t know if they provide any particular guarantee that Patch’s next year will be as good as his last, but I hope that will be true. I suspect he will continue to focus on the pieces of life that are important to him while letting the rest fall where it may. I could do a little more of that myself.

Happy Birthday Patch.