Birthday-Itis

"Birthday-itis"--a word commonly used in a household of 6 children. It is the jealousy that children feel when it is not their birthday. I haven't had it since 1985 when my baby sister received "Norma Jean".

Cabbage Patch Kids were a black market commodity those days and I dreamed of taking mine for a walk in her stroller or to the park in her baby carrier. Little sister got one first and I was pissed. ("Jacobina Genny" eventually found her way to our house but by then the sting of baby "Lola" having one first was over.) "Norma Jean" eventually suffered a broken-off crayon to the brain, split mouth (due to the retrieval of the broken crayon) and an unhealthy looking ink rash to her cheeks.

I am 34 today. My parents, thankfully, refrained from their yearly 6 a.m. birthday call and allowed me to sleep-in on a Saturday. (It was 8:00). (They've never missed a year for me but poor baby "Lola" somehow got missed this year. What goes around comes around, eh? :))

For the record, I'm sure they are still feeling guilty about this. Mom/Dad if you're reading-it's ok, we still love you, baby "Lola" included.

Anyways, you'd think by now a few lessons have been learned. At 2, my mother reminds me, of my independent spirit by quoting my two-year old defiant self, "No, I amn't."

At 34, I've lost her somewhere and need to say "No, I amn't" more often. That 2 year old self that wouldn't compromise her wishes for anybody (or anything.) The self that understood happiness was nothing more than a sunny day. The one who loved to walk through dewey grass and looked at the patterns it made on her shoes.

There are at least 3 things that I do know:

-Unanswered prayers are not always a bad thing.

-When you become a parent, your heart no longer resides in your body.

-Pick your battles. They're not all worth fighting.