A Tale of Two Birthdays

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…"

 (A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens)

Dickens starts his famous novel with very opposing ideas. In the same way, our lives look very different from people who live in other parts of the world. Let me tell you of a day that this became startlingly clear to me. 

Allan's Birthday

My husband and I sponsor a sweet little boy in Ecuador through Compassion. He writes us the sweetest letters and I'd love to get to meet him one day. We can't send him presents, but we can send extra money at his birthday if we wish. 

After his birthday one year, he wrote us a letter thanking us for the money we sent. He then told us how he'd used the money to buy himself a pair of shoes. He included a picture of himself proudly holding his new shoes. As you can see from the picture at the beginning, these aren't the newest and coolest tennis shoes. They are practical black shoes. Shoes that most kids would have to be forced to wear. This is what he bought with his birthday money.

An American Child's Birthday

Shortly after reading Allan's letter and looking at the picture, I got on Facebook. One of the stories on my home page was a new album that had been uploaded with pictures from a child's birthday party. This party had it all. The theme could be seen throughout from the decorations to the snacks to the entertainment. A place had been rented. Food had been perfectly prepared and arranged. Decorations had been made and put out. A form of entertainment had been paid for. Presents were stacked high from the child's family and friends. I don't have to give too many details because I know you've seen these pictures too. The party I'm describing could belong to any American child on any given day.

Two Different Lifestyles
Allan's story is not unique. We also sponsor a girl named Malaiyarasi and her letters after her birthdays are similar. She uses the money to buy herself a new dress or her mom a new pot. This goes on while I sit around and listen to people I know discuss what they'll get a child for a birthday party they've been invited to. They usually end up deciding to just buy something for the sake of buying a gift and because they don't know what else to get.

What a waste of money! What do you get a child who has more than they'll ever need? A toy they'll barely touch. I know from my own childhood we had more toys than we could ever play with. What's the point of that? Couldn't that money be better spent on something else. Why do we ask people to buy gifts for children who already have more than they need while there are children in this world who DON'T have the basic necessities of life?!? There's something wrong with that.

Envious Lifestyles

Not only are Americans in general spoiling their kids more and more while children are dying daily by the thousands, but this type of lifestyle lends itself to a lot of envious feelings. Even though I don't have children of my own, I sense that these parties are a competition for many parents. Who will have the best party? Who will have the most original theme? Who will have the cutest decorations? Who will have the fanciest cake? Who will have the most fun entertainment? Of course, not only will the people who attend the child's party know what the party was like, but pictures will also be posted on various forms of social media. If you're crafty enough, you may also blog about your party ideas in hopes that they'll become popular pins on Pinterest. That way, some other parent can be "inspired" to step up their game for their child's next birthday party.

In Conclusion
Please understand that I'm not saying that I think it's bad to celebrate a child's birthday. I think it's important to let a child know that they are loved and special. It's also important to let them know that you value the day they came into the world.

What I am asking is, what are you teaching your child is valuable? Are you teaching them that the world revolves around them? Are you teaching them that they need a lot of stuff to be happy? Are you teaching them that it's important to impress others? Would you consider finding a way to celebrate your child's life and help children that are less fortunate?

Similarly, I thought this article was really good about discussing"first world problems."