As a mom, I get invited to a lot of birthday events for my kids. You might find this funny, but the truth is, the hardest thing in life in this country is preparing for a kid's birthday. I mean it, literally… You want to know why? I'll tell you why… it's because the birthday isn't for your kid, it's for the guests, or to be more frank, it's for you… yes you! The host...
It's as if, you never had a big birthday before and now's your chance to live it. Don't get me wrong, we all have the right to celebrate and enjoy OUR birthday, but we don’t have the right to take our kids as an alibi to fulfill our dream.
I've seen it so many times, kids, or more specifically, toddlers, tend to cry in their birthdays, and you want to know the reason why? It's because they don't really know it's their birthday, they only know it's their birthday when they see the cake and have to blow the candle. But before that part, they see a huge crowd, animators they've never seen in their lives before, who all of a sudden want to carry them and play with them and make their birthday special; but the child doesn't look at it this way. Let me ask you a question, do you like being treated that way? A complete stranger coming from nowhere, carrying you, forcing to play a game with him that you haven't heard of or don't even have a clue about and you only got introduced in the past two minutes? You might tell me yes I wouldn't mind, just to wrong me, but I bet in your deepest, darkest mind, if I put you to the test, you'd be anxious and telling yourself, why did I put myself in such a position or what the hell is wrong with her?
I'm only doing what you're doing to your child… an innocent creature who only wants to play and look at you. Yes you, their idol. "Mommy and daddy are my idol. I want to be like them. They are my world, they love me because I'm theirs and they are mine…"
Let's put the criticism aside, I'm not better than any of those mothers. It started with me like that… I have to show people what I have… I have to be part of this society, even though I have to crack myself apart JUST TO FIT IN… But the question is: Fit in what? What kind of a society am I putting myself and my family in?

Noura Hariri