Suggestions Please!!!!!

[DisneyMOM09]

We will be in Disney the week before my DD 3rd birthday, so I was thinking of having her a little birthday party there (cake, get the birthday pin, ect) but I also have a DD8 who will never see Disney on her birthday due to school (She's a Dec baby) and I don't want her to be upset that her sister gets to have the Disney birthday experience and she doesn't. So I was wondering if it would be innappropriate to let her celebrate her half birthday along with her sister at Disney? Her half birthday would be in June so it wouldn't be to far out from our vacation time at the end of May. This is actually something I have been thinking about doing for her every year since her b'day is right before Christmas and it makes it hard to celebrate it on her real birthday, and we would be able to have a better party for her than we can right before Christmas. What do you think?

 

[LISAVWL]

we have a very similar situation. We usually go to Disney in October and this year will be the 2nd time we'll actually be there on DS birthday. My youngest and oldest really couldn't care less about their bdays being celebrated in Disney, whew! But now my DD is very upset that DS will have another birthday in Disney. We decided that we could celebrate her 1/2 birthday this year and she is beyond thrilled! (they're 18 mo apart so it works perfectly). She's actually planning her day already! She is pretty shy and doesn't want anyone to sing to her or a button so that was easy, but I wouldn't see the harm in it. You would be celebrating a birthday, right? 1/2 or not I think it's OK! Have a great time!

 

[Magic Mom]

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think you should celebrater her "half birthday" just so she doesn't have hurt feelings. Not because it breaks some unwritten WDW birthday pin super secret "code", but because....Its not her birthday. Things aren't always equal. This time DD2 gets a special BD...next time DD1 gets something special that DD2 doesn't ever get. That's they way the world works. If you start equalizing things with them now, where do you stop? Talk to her and explain the situation and ask her to help you with the planning. She might surprise you and be excited about her big sister role.

 

[DisneyMOM09]

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think you should celebrater her "half birthday" just so she doesn't have hurt feelings. Not because it breaks some unwritten WDW birthday pin super secret "code", but because....Its not her birthday. Things aren't always equal. This time DD2 gets a special BD...next time DD1 gets something special that DD2 doesn't ever get. That's they way the world works. If you start equalizing things with them now, where do you stop? Talk to her and explain the situation and ask her to help you with the planning. She might surprise you and be excited about her big sister role.

Thank you for your opinion. I value all points of view and do see what you are saying. For us the whole point is that we want to treat our children equally. We don't buy one something without getting the other one something, we want them to always know that they are equal and loved the same in our eyes. This will be our only Disney trip for a long time (we cannot afford to go to Disney to often so the opportunity for them to both celebrate their birthday at Disney and have those memories is really a one time only thing!

 

[Magic Mom]

For us the whole point is that we want to treat our children equally. We don't buy one something without getting the other one something, we want them to always know that they are equal and loved the same in our eyes.

But I think there is a difference between being loved equally (that's an absolute given), and always being in an equal situation. I remind my kids of this often. Just because things don't seem fair or eqaul right now doesn't mean we don't love you equally. For instance, every year DS goes to FL to spend part of the summer with my parents. This year DD is old enough to go with him on the plane. She REALLY wants to go, but I won't let her go. The reason is because this is DS's last summer (he is 16) to do this, and he wants to go down alone. Its important to him. So she isn't going. I "chose" him over her in this instance. Doesn't mean I don't love her as much. Just like last week when she had a horse show and he had a track race. I missed his race for her show. He was dissappointed, but I reminded him that sometimes I miss her things for his things. It all works out.
If you always do and buy everything equally for them, when does one or the other ever get to feel special...individual?
I apologize if I sound like I'm arguing...I'm not, its just an interesting topic to me.

 

[DisneyMOM09]

I totally understand where you are coming from and sometimes they each get to do individual things, but in this instance since it is a one time thing, I think it would be nice if they both got the chance to celebrate a birthday at Disney. I didn't mean to sound like we don't have special things for each of our children, but day to day we try to make sure that things are on equal footing. My children are much younger than yours so I am sure we will run into times where we will have to choose one over the other in certain situations, but since this would go way beyond any other kind of birthday celebration we would be able to have it would be nice for them both to experience it.

 

[DisneyMOM09]

Also I didn't think you sounded like you were trying to argue! I think it is nice that we have different opinions and can both express them without name calling and insults! Thanks!

 

[JacobsMommy11002]

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think you should celebrater her "half birthday" just so she doesn't have hurt feelings. Not because it breaks some unwritten WDW birthday pin super secret "code", but because....Its not her birthday. Things aren't always equal. This time DD2 gets a special BD...next time DD1 gets something special that DD2 doesn't ever get. That's they way the world works. If you start equalizing things with them now, where do you stop? Talk to her and explain the situation and ask her to help you with the planning. She might surprise you and be excited about her big sister role.

I completely agree with you. You can't make everything fair all the time.

 

[CTmommyx3]

We were just in Disney for DS birthday. We just got him the pin and we did not do a big birthday thing. But yes odd was saying how come we are here for his birthday and not mine. But in the end hey that is how it happened. She understood.

 

[tweedlemom]

Maybe you could get a pin made up that says something like "Today is my Un-Birthday!" and make sure you go to Magic Kingdom and have her picture taken with Alice and the Mad Hatter near the teacups! That would be special just for her, and very appropriate for Wonderland!

 

[delmar411]

This is probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but I don't think you should celebrater her "half birthday" just so she doesn't have hurt feelings. Not because it breaks some unwritten WDW birthday pin super secret "code", but because....Its not her birthday. Things aren't always equal. This time DD2 gets a special BD...next time DD1 gets something special that DD2 doesn't ever get. That's they way the world works. If you start equalizing things with them now, where do you stop? Talk to her and explain the situation and ask her to help you with the planning. She might surprise you and be excited about her big sister role.

I completely agree with you. You can't make everything fair all the time.

I also agree. Your birthday is ONE day per year. Actually the birthday child in this vacation is at the dis-advantage because they aren't able to have a regular birthday party and while birthdays at WDW are 'special', they really aren't any different than every other day. I think there is this huge mis-conception that Disney makes it a great and wonderful special day. You'll spend a lot of your meals reminding the CM's that you are celebrating a b-day and if something special happens for someone else then you end up worried that your child will be disappointed if nothing extra special happens for them. It's truly exhausting IMO and I just got back from celebrating my DD's 10th b-day there(fabulous trip but I was extremely stressed over making it special). She didn't win any dreams unlike when we went in Oct and celebrated 3 birthdays (and won dream fast passes on DH's & younger DD's actual b-day), they didn't sing at dinner (but what they did do worked out perfectly), we didn't get to do all the things she wanted to do or that I had planned to do...it's a lot of pressure is my point.

The vacation is for your family and that should be the main focus of the trip anyway.

I'm sure your kids know that you love them and want the best for them and if all things could be equal that you'd take them all to WDW for their b-days.

 

[moxiecola]

I feel the same way as Magic Mom. I have 4 boys and we will be there when it is #2's 8th. The day we come home is #4's 1st and 3 weeks later is #3's 4th. We are celebrating #2's while we are there and made him up a shirt that says "it's my birhtday." Part of learning and growing is accepting that other people get things too and you have to be happy for them. I'm sure that #2 won't be the only one to get special attention, it is Disney afterall, but he is the only one celebrating a birthday while we're there. We will do something special for the others when we come home.
I think the problem with a lot of parents/families today (and I'm not saying this applies in this situation) they try to make everyone happy ALL of the time. People in my own family have tried it with my kids. On one kid's birthday they bring gifts for all so they won't be upset. I nipped that in the bud. THAT IS NOT HOW IT WORKS. It's one kid's birthday and HE is the birthday boy. The others must wait their turn till it's their birthday and it is their special day ALONE. You just can't do things to keep them from getting upset or having hurt feelings. This is how they learn to enter the real world and become mature well rounded/adjusted adults. It's just not realistic to get what you want when you want it most or all of the time!