by Jennifer Patoine

Created on: June 22, 2010

Go back to the day your child was born. Was this day important to you?  It doesn't matter if it is your first child or your fifth, that day is always important to you and your family. Now, fast forward five years down the road. Should this day be any less important? You are celebrating the day in which you gave your child life and many will argue that life is the most precious gift that can be given. Now that we have established  the day your child was born is important as well as their life, think about your child's life on a daily basis.

Does your child have siblings in which they have to share their time, attention, toys and personal space with? Sure, this is a normal part of life but to a child it can seem like the end of the world. Many studies show that during the first five years of life, children are egocentric. Children want and think the world is supposed to revolve around them and don't understand fully why it doesn't or can't. So, why shouldn't your child have one day every year where we make it okay to be all about them? A day when the world can revolve around them and make them feel important?

How many times have you heard your children screaming "no, that's mine!" or find yourself walking around the house with a child cemented to your leg like a pair of spandex? How about the child getting into their preteens telling you they will just die if they have to spend one more day sharing a room with their younger sibling? For many households these may be common situations. How about the situation when you finally hear the dreaded "I hate you!" because you didn't buy that new game console your child has been begging for? The "life is not fair" concept is hard for children to learn. Also hard to learn are those lessons in life that even some adults have a hard time dealing with. Lessons such as "enjoy the simple things in life".

When your children are young they don't really understand the concept of what a birthday is. To a child, a birthday means cake and ice cream with a side dish of presents. Pretty simple, right? Children are in fact simple creatures and a birthday party is one of those simple pleasures a lot of us forget to enjoy.. As your child ages, he or she will learn what a birthday is really celebrating and expect less of the aforementioned items. Of course, many will argue that as a parent it is your job to make your child feel important every day. We all do our best to just that, but again, a young child may not understand the ways adults attempt to make them feel important. To a child, a day at the park is just what a Mommy and Daddy is supposed to do. That trip for the ice cream cone on a Sunday afternoon.....well, that is part of our job. As I said, children are relatively simple minded.

Ask yourself this question, does your child feel special or important when they see that Santa Claus has brought them that very special toy they have been asking for? Yes....they do? Okay, perhaps we should then tell these children that Santa does not exist because after all, we should be making our children feel important every day! Most of us, as parents, wouldn't consider doing this. The bottom line is, with the situations children are faced with every day, what is it going to hurt to give them a party to let them know we are so glad they are here with us and we appreciate them? Besides, as parents we expect gifts or a day of appreciation when it is Mother's/Father's day...don't we?

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Patoine.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.