What the heck is a "half birthday?"

[scrapquitler]

do you really think the kids who have 1/2 birthdays go without some celebration on the birthday? I highly doubt it.
So the parents who do the 1/2 birthday thing on the actual date, do your kids do nothing?
:

No, but my kids do get a party with their friends, and a party with the family.

What's the difference between that and having a family party on your birthday and a friend party (or cupcakes at school) on your half birthday? Two celebrations, just at different times in both cases.

 

[Disneyland1084]

You never need an excuse to eat cake.

You do if you're watching your weight.

 

[PigletsPal2]

My DD#1 "celebrates" her half-birthday in March because she's the only one of the four of us who wasn't born in March; her real birthday is in September. No cake, presents, or cards are involved, just a "happy half-birthday" on her day.

Hmmm, maybe the other three of us should celebrate half-birthdays in September!

Queen Colleen

 

[MineMail]

I teach 1st grade and celebrate only the half birthdays of those children who have birthdays during summer break. I have my students make birthday cards that have to include a sentence telling something nice about the birthday child. I give the child a crown, card and a birthday pencil. I cannot justify leaving out 3 or 4 children who don't happen to have a birthday during the school year. At 6 & 7 the birthday crown and pencil are a big deal. Some parents will end in treats, some don't that's not a big deal.
For students who don't celebrate birthdays we will do compliment cards saying something nice about the child without writing Happy Birthday. They still get to choose a pencil as not all are birthday pencils. Crowns are up to them, they can have one if they want.

Bravo - it is important to them at that age. As a summer baby, I can attest to that feeling. One of my kids' teachers would have the summer birthday kids "celebrate" on months that had fewer official birthdays, but I like the half-birthday idea better. As we grew older, one of my friends said she'd rather switch her 12/25 birthdate with my summer date because she thought it was cool that I could have pool parties.

My cousins have a son with a Christmas birthday. They have their traditional Christmas dinner, then clear and set the table for dessert with birthday napkins and plates, with the birthday cake being the centerpiece. Nice way to manage the dual celebration.

My oldest DD's birthday was exactly 6 mos. before her then-BFF's birthday, so when one celebrated, the other celebrated her half-birthday. We still joke about it today (they're adults now) and sing "A Very Merry Un-Birthday To You." (Just a little Disney tie-in with the tradition)

 

[NYEmomma]

DD1 was born December 31 which is kind of a crappy time of year for a birthday being a week after Christmas. Both in terms of gifts and of party options in a cold weather region. So a lot of people have suggested that we celebrate her half birthday instead. But I'm too change resistant and sentimental to celebrate her birthday any other time than her birthday.

Plus, now we have her sisters having a birthday almost 6 months (and 3 years) to the day after hers so the last thing I want is back-to-back parties or one party for 3 kids.

 

[NYEmomma]

do you really think the kids who have 1/2 birthdays go without some celebration on the birthday? I highly doubt it.
So the parents who do the 1/2 birthday thing on the actual date, do your kids do nothing?

The people that I know who celebrate half birthdays (and what we would do if we chose to approach DD's birthday this way) would have a small celebration on the actual birthday... cake, ice cream, presents with immediate family. The half birthday is really just for the kids party. It's so they can have more party options (not many fun activities in the dead of winter around here), have more of their friends attend since so many people are busy around Christmas, and "spread the presents out" instead of just getting EVERYTHING right around Christmas-time and having a dry spell the rest of the year.

My birthday is in the beginning of January, so I feel the pain though to a much lesser degree than people whose birthdays are right near Christmas.

We do DD's party with her friends in January when everyone isn't so busy.

 

[Sugardimples]

I don't think any birthdays should be celebrated in school.

 

[Jey12]

DD7 was born in early January and we have done half birthday celebrations before. Around here her birthday is usually in the middle of an ice storm, snow, coldest day of the year, etc....Also we have a very large family with cousins close in age, a lot of friends with kids close in age and then add in school friends. I'm not inviting all of those people into my house, that's for sure. So we're very limited by indoor parties that won't cause us to put a 2nd mortgage on the house. When DD was turning 5 she wanted to have her party at a local farm type of place like her other friends had. They aren't open in the winter and going on pony rides and hayrides isn't really a ton of fun in a foot of snow for most people. So that year we did what she wanted and did her half birthday at the farmstead. Also that year on her actual birthday she received a few gifts from us and grandparents and had a nice dinner out. Nothing else. And that's also something we do for her birthday in addition to her party anyway, so it really wasn't anything extra.

I would love to be able to rent a cheap shelter house, grill dogs and burgers and have some cheap and fun games for the kids for a birthday party. Not many want to do that in January, and not right after the holidays either. This year I did threaten to rent the shelter with a fireplace in January, make some chili and soup in crock pots and let the kids have snowball fights as a party activity. I was quickly informed I would be there all by myself. Even my own child said she wouldn't be there. Instead we corented out the local skating rink with a cousin who has a winter baby as well and the kids had a great time. Sadly with a large group of family and friends your options are very limited if you do celebrate birthdays and you have a winter baby. For that reason I think the idea of half birthdays are fantastic. Taking treats to school on your half birthday not so much. For me the half birthday is to avoid the crappy weather that's going on, on your actual birthday. Not a reason to celebrate twice.

 

[Colleen27]

do you really think the kids who have 1/2 birthdays go without some celebration on the birthday? I highly doubt it.
So the parents who do the 1/2 birthday thing on the actual date, do your kids do nothing?

Around here birthdays are ridiculous which may explain why many elementary schools now have nixed the classroom celebrations. first it started with cupcakes, then it moved onto a piñata in class, then a few moms wanted to decorate the classroom for preciouses birthday.

Well, as I said in my first response, my cousin is the only one I know IRL who had half-birthday parties, and they started after the year that inviting his whole class and soccer team to a kid party over Christmas break resulted in not a single friend or classmate attending. What my aunt did after that was held a small family party (dinner & cake) around his actual birthday and a friend party in June right after school got out. My brother and I felt super-special to be the only guests invited to both because we were family but also so close in age that we were all friends.

In my area, birthdays at school are no big deal - a sweet treat instead of snack time (for early elem) or at afternoon recess (for upper elem), maybe a small party-favor type gift like a bottle of bubbles or a themed pencil, and the class singing Happy Birthday. It takes a few minutes longer than the usual snack or recess break but not significantly so, and isn't over the top or disruptive on whole. Even when the kids were in public school with 20-odd kids in the class it wasn't a big deal, and it is even less so in the private school they're at now where the class sizes are mostly single digit. I can understand cracking down if parents are bringing pinatas and decorations but it hasn't been like that anywhere I've lived.

 

[Disneylover99]

Well, I've never heard of a half a birthday before and it seems like a rather silly notion to me, but what the heck......Tomorrow is my half a birthday! Maybe I'll take the day off and buy myself a cake!

 

[Irish9697]

My daughter was born on Christmas Day 2000 at 3:29pm. No denying, my sweet girl is a Christmas baby. It makes her special, but she does struggle a bit each year and I, as her mom, do as well. It's really hard to combine everything and make certain her birthday is a notable event. And, I make certain she always gets a separate birthday celebration and gifts. In our house, her birthday comes before Santa. I decorate the kitchen like a birthday party and we start with her birthday gifts. We also have a tradition that she wears some sort of cool birthday shirt on Christmas. The one this year was very tween-friendly and very cool! We host our large extended family at our house that day for lunch and fun and we all stop promptly at 3:29 to sing to her and have cake and celebrate her.

My son was born December 7th, 1999 just one year prior to my daughter (12 months, 18 days apart). I do think their half birthdays are pretty cool milestones because they're both then closer to the next age. So, we definitely acknowledge them in this house and I generally get them a gift since theirs are both stuffed into the two and half weeks before and including Christmas. I also give them real gifts for Valentine's and Easter to balance for smaller birthday gifts or not smaller necessarily but more limited choice for gift since everything is so close. I love to surprise them mid year with something they love but didn't get at Christmas and birthday time.

That being said, I've given the option of having a half birthday celebration in lieu of actual (aside from family I mean), and they've never done it. My son's birthday parties, if he has one are anywhere from the 3rd-10th in recent years. We generally choose 17th-29th for my daughter. Back in the day of toddlerhood, I combined their parties around the 15th or 16th since it was halfway between. In 2012, my son chose an iPhone and family party in lieu of big friend thing, but my daughter had 6 girls to spend the night on December 29th and it was a success! So, holiday birthdays can be done.

All that being said, I'm not sure why people are so put off by the half birthday concept...my daughter generally took her birthday treats the same day as my son (which usually was his bday 12/7 or the day closest) because it made it easier on me and she got her day with her class too. But, if someone brought half birthday treats...why would it matter?

 

[joviroxx]

So after reading more of this thread I still kind of feel, ehh, about the whole thing. More power to you, but I still see a bit silly for me. DS birthday is early January, never occurred to me to celebrate at another time.

There are so many things that aren't even or fair among kids. I just always told my kids that you can always find good in your situation. DS might never have been able to have a beach or pool party like he always wished he could, but he WAS able to have school celebrations. Some kids, the other way. He might have had to wait all year to ask for something special, but other kids might not even have an opportunity to get gifts twice a year. I was never one to go with, awww, poor kids, they should be able to have "xx" too. I just pointed them to what they could have that others couldn't and how lucky they were because of it.

The things I learn on the IDS..

 

[Bob NC]

I feel sorry for the kids who's birthdays are in February. They get a family birthday celebration at home and also one at school.

They NEVER get a half birthday inAugust.

How unfair!!!!!

 

[goofyintoronto]

Whoa, that was rough! I have a summer birthday- and never had the chance to hold the American flag for the Pledge of Allegiance like the other birthday kids did in school. Jealous- maybe. But why couldn't I get a turn? They couldn't work it out somehow? Seriously. I am going to be 45 years old and I still remember this!

I honestly don't see how celebrating a 1/2 birthday puts a cramp in anyone else' life. You need to lighten up a little!

Lighten up? Sorry but I dont think its appropriate for you to tell me to lighten up when all im doing is stating my opinion. I think the whole thing is silly. Thats just how I feel. Those are my thoughts. Why do I have to lighten up? If others want to celebrate their half bday at school, more power to them. I dont have a problem with it. But i personally would never let my DS celebrate his half bday.

 

[robinb]

Just to make things clear, I think half-birthdays are nice for summer kids to celebrate in school like their peers celebrate on the school calendar birthdays. I do think that once a kid gets older (say Middle School) the whole school birthday celebration should be retired for everyone and the half-birthday is no longer needed.

I'm not a big fan of participation trophies - I don't think there's anything wrong with recognizing the kids who worked hard and excelled, and I like that most of our sports leagues have participation medals/ribbons for every child but only give trophies to the top competitors. That's a good middle ground, IMO; everyone's effort is recognized and the kids get a little keepsake to tape to their wall, but the achievement of the champion teams isn't diminished by treating it as equal teams that didn't perform as well.

I get what you're saying. In my experience there is a difference between the participation trophy and the ones who are the top competitors. The participation ones are much smaller. That being said, most kids in swimming get nothing or maybe a participation or heat winner ribbon while the top kids get placement ribbons or sometimes medals. Swimming is more of an individual sport, though.

 

[robinb]

But i personally would never let my DS celebrate his half bday.

It's easy to say that you wouldn't let him celebrate a half birthday when he was able to celebrate his own real birthday at school.

 

[goofyintoronto]

True. But im telling you, its not like me to do something like this. I can make my DS bday very special with school friends even if his bday was in the summer months. At his school, the celebration consists of loot bags as i said, filled with pencils etc. That isnt something kids consider special I think, but who knows. Every school is different. His is pretty strict. We're not allowed to bring in a cake or any baked goodies whatsoever. The 'big deal' is a bday party over the weekend. If you plan ahead, you can most definitely have a special occasion with school friends during summer.

It's easy to say that you wouldn't let him celebrate a half birthday when he was able to celebrate his own real birthday at school.

 

[Skywalker]

Well, I always used to envy people with summer birthdays because they always had their birthday off and to me that was so cool. No one cared about the fairness of me having school and homework on my birthday.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Well, I always used to envy people with summer birthdays because they always had their birthday off and to me that was so cool. No one cared about the fairness of me having school and homework on my birthday.

LOL!! Me too! I totally agree! I was always envious of ppl who had summer bdays because of the backyard bbq's and outdoor swim parties. I always thought that was cool cause I never got that, and neither did my DS! My bday is in December and my DS bday is in April. We cant have bbq's or out door swim parties. You have more options in the summer than you do during the school year. Plus, as you said, you always have your bday off.

 

[HelenePA]

I don't think any birthdays should be celebrated in school.

Thankfully my school feels differently... In Elem school birthdays are announced at the start of the day right when they say the pledge then the birthday kids go down to the office for a bday pencil and a coupon for a free snack at lunch time. Weekend bdays are announced on Friday. Summer bdays are announced on the last day of the year. I drop cupcakes off for my 2 kids with summer bdays then. Its never been an issue. I am an NYE baby and I hated never having cupcakes in school or a birthday party. Never did the half bday either..