un día feliz
As mentioned, birthdays in Mexico seem to have a more intense flavor. Let's just say we still have a super sweet aftertaste of Madeline's birthday celebration from earlier this week, as evidenced by the abundance of gift bags, leftover cake in the fridge, and several thank-you cards that need to be written. While we knew that this year would be different, we had no idea that we will likely have to realign Madeline's birthday expectations for when she, God willing, turns 10!
In a nutshell, the school where the kids are at allows and encourages everyone to celebrate their special day. At Lucas Elementary in Iowa, for good reasons, birthdays are certainly recognized with singing and maybe some extra recess time and a gift of a fun pencil from their teacher, but kids are not allowed to bring treats. Here, for also good reasons, things are different. Luckily, there were some birthdays before Madelines, so we knew a bit of what to plan for.
It goes like this - about a week before, parents (I've only seen messages from Moms) put a text out on the grade-wide WhatsApp letting everyone know that it is their kid's upcoming birthday and that breakfast and cake will be shared. Yes, BREAKFAST. Kids eat breakfast at school. 3rd grade is at 9:30, and when they get out at 2ish, they are assumed to go home and have a bigger meal. So, parents then arrange breakfast (there have been tamales, spaghetti, waffles, and breakfast sandwiches, for example) and a treat to be at the school, and the teachers assume the role of party supervisors. They are kind to share videos and take pictures of the whole thing.
Since we weren't doing a traditional party this year and wanted to represent, Madeline chose good ol' Mcdonald's McMuffins and mini-cupcakes for her 3rd-grade crew. I admit it. I was on pins and needles as I waited in the parking lot for everything to arrive on Tuesday morning. I was not tranquilo. Per usual, I got wrapped up in my own expectations of things being "perfect" and the superficial and non-existent consequences if things did not go as planned. Man, 38 years and counting, and I'm still working on it. All went well; the moto and the man carrying breakfast on his back arrived just in time.
As anticipated, even though we weren't there, we received very cute videos and pictures of the "party." What we did not expect was that many of her classmates brought her gifts! She was beyond thrilled, and we, as parents, were a bit embarrassed. We will be upping our gift-bringing game for the next birthday.
After school, we had a lovely time as a family with cake, dinner, and the opening of presents. We were thankful for our growing, brave girl and all the sweet messages on social media and on FaceTime from friends and family. When we asked Madeline the best part of her 8th year and not-so-best part, she said "Mexico" for both. Sounds about right. Since she will be spending more of her 9th year here than in Iowa, reflecting on what she might say in a little less than 365 days will certainly be interesting.
Thanks for reading!
Love ❤️ the Birthday photos 🎂
What a memorable birthday! It wasn’t too hard picking her out of the class picture😂 Happy 9th, Madeline! 🎉🎊🎈