I’m glad to see that the Americans are finally fed up with the birthday thing; not that birthdays are sinful in themselves, but the way we have been celebrating them is certainly not edifying for the child nor for those who surround him/her.

Expensive children’s birthday parties pose a number of problems:

1. If one cannot afford a gift they may feel a bit ashamed. The host will almost never come down on that person, but the truth of the matter is that the person is put in the spotlight almost by default.

2. Many children become completely spoiled and arrogant when receiving the gifts.

3. The logic of the party is pretty backwards and even man-centered. Where is God in all of this? And what does this celebration teach the child? One may say that it teaches thankfulness to a child but… well, I really doubt it does.

4. What child needs an abundance of toys every single year?

5. The parties cause various types of stress on the adults. If we want to get together, then let’s be mature about this desire and just say “let’s get together.”

So there you have it, a general Christian ethic on birthdays; hope you are not upset.