Michelle on Birthdays

[GeoBQn]

parentables.howstuffworks.com/family-matters/michelle-duggar-celebrating-birthdays-19-kids.html

 

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Initially, when they were all little, we would do a party for each child and invite our family and friends. But now since the family is so big, we’d be wearing out our family by doing that every time there was another birthday. We decided to make the birthday celebrations more personal for each one of the kids.

Personal like when you made Joy's birthday parties on a kiddie train and and at a rock climbing wall, neither of which she appeared to enjoy? Personal like Joseph's "sweet 16 party" with children's games?

 

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Now each child gets to have a special birthday lunch with just mom and dad. If it’s a younger one, we’ll usually invite their older buddy, too.

Good thing she invites older buddies too. It might be traumatic for the young children to be separated from their real parent.

 

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They get to pick their favorite restaurant; as you can imagine it’s a much different choice of lunch spot for the younger ones versus the older ones. The older ones like to go to a really nice place, sit down and just have a quiet visit, whereas the younger ones want to go to someplace like Chuck E. Cheese and play games.

What "nice, sit down" restaurants are there in town that don't involve Eye-talian food or other cuisines with "difficult" food names?

 

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We also have a tradition that if we’re not traveling on their birthdate, we always have an ice cream social at 7 p.m. in our house.

So, that means pretty much no ice cream socials anymore.

 

Also, the Parentables sites has been publishing only Michelle's articles since September. What happened to the other contributors?

[doggie]

well it is special to have time alone with your parents since it has to be usually scheduled a week or more in advance. So it is so special to take your child to a meal other normal parents never do such special things with their children. They only have parties or buy presents the child enjoys or do activities the child likes or spends money n the evil little heathens. :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :headdesk: :head-desk:

[formergothardite]

Got to bring the buddy because God forbid Michelle and Jim Bob spend time alone with their younger ones on their birthdays.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Does she remember each child's birthday and their ages?

"Happy Birthday Jinger!"

"No, mom, I am Josiah. And her birthday is next week."

[tankgirl]

Got to bring the buddy because God forbid Michelle and Jim Bob spend time alone with their younger ones on their birthdays.

Seriously! I mean for all those people who just think the older kids just help a little, I think they shouldreflect on this. I mean this to me points to just how involved buddies are meant to be, when they arrive at the special birthday lunch. They basically are the parent. Oh well at least with the buddy there, the birthday child still gets some fun and attention, while Michelle makes goo goo eyes at Jim Bob, while Jim Bob makes some inuendo about him doing his godly deeds or something embarrasing the poor server who knows they aren't going to see a tip again.

[SPHASH]

So when its the twins birthdays (JD and Jana, Jed and Jer), does each twin get their own lunch date with Boob and Mullet or do they both go at the same time?

[ljohnson2006]

J'Chelle doesn't know her kids birthdays. What BS! Johannah shared her bday with Kenzie, and other Duggars have shared their Bdays.

[louisa05]

Got to bring the buddy because God forbid Michelle and Jim Bob spend time alone with their younger ones on their birthdays.

Michelle also wouldn't want to be stuck taking care of a bathroom trip or cutting up food or such parent like things.

[Dandruff]

Take kid out for meal, bring buddy for any needs beyond polite conversation, pay more attention to kid that week.

Did I miss anything?

[Jana814]

Michelle also wouldn't want to be stuck taking care of a bathroom trip or cutting up food or such parent like things.

This. Not to mention they would need the buddy to order what the child would like.

[Lillybee]

And doing birthdays this way, give Ma and Pa Duggar more chances to get away from the TTH and the brood of kids there.

[doggie]

I think they have to bring the buddy along to remember the child's name and other vital statistics.

[leftcoastmama]

You'd think they'd big on birthdays since they are all about life and children and birth.

I've got a big family, but Mr. Coast and I still make time to celebrate each birthday and there are several months with back to back birthdays or birthdays on the same day.

We typically do an immediate family party with cake and dinner the day of. we do end up having joint celebrations with friends/ extended family because the kids are close in age ad have the same friends and they want to it's no problem for them to have a joint slumber party or pizza party etc. We do take each child out for one on one time, but that's a regular thing for us anyway.

[Lillybee]

I shutter to think what kind of birthday lunch poor Jordyn gets. I can see Boob referring to her as no. 18 as he did in the past. I hope Jessa helps her pick out a nice place for lunch but somehow I doubt it. I doubt that Jordyn has had a birthday party in her short life and if she somehow did, you all would know it will be overshadow by Josie's birthday.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Imagine the awkward conversations when out with the parents and the kid's buddy.

Michelle: Sooooooo.......

Jill: Jennifer?

Michelle: Yeah, that's what I was about to say. Jennifer. Happy Birthday, youre 7 now!

Jill: 6?

Michelle: Really? Ive been thinking she was 6 for all of last year.

Or with an older kid:

Jimbob and John David stare at eachother awkwardly.

Jimbob: Soooo, how's school?

JD: Graduated years ago...

...

...

...

Jimbob: So how old are you, you must be about 20 by no.

JD: 23

...

...

...

...

JD: Weather was nice today

Jimbob: Yeah...

[SPHASH]

I shutter to think what kind of birthday lunch poor Jordyn gets. I can see Boob referring to her as no. 18 as he did in the past. I hope Jessa helps her pick out a nice place for lunch but somehow I doubt it. I doubt that Jordyn has had a birthday party in her short life and if she somehow did, you all would know it will be overshadow by Josie's birthday.

Not to mention, Jinger, Jed, and Jer's b-days are also in December too. And Dec is also the month Jubilee died.

[GolightlyGrrl]

I don't think a parent should go over the top with birthdays but birthdays are a special day for children. They should get their favorite meal or taken to a beloved restaurant. A parent should ask the child, "What do you want to do for your birthday?" One child may want to go to a skating rink, maybe another child wants a crafting party, and maybe another child wants to go to a sporting event. If these things are within the parents' budget then the parents should try to make them happen.

I'm not a mom but I am an auntie. One of the cool things about being an auntie is seeing my niece and nephew grow into unique individuals. I just love finding out what interests them, what makes them tick, what makes them excited, etc. I don't get that vibe from Boob and Mullet. They can talk about children being a blessing, but to them, I just think their kids are cash cows.

[GeoBQn]

I forgot to include with the list of crappy birthdays the one where JimBob made one of the Howlers haggle for his present at a pawn shop.

[GolightlyGrrl]

I forgot to include with the list of crappy birthdays the one where JimBob made one of the Howlers haggle for his present at a pawn shop.

What an asshole.

[SPHASH]

I forgot to include with the list of crappy birthdays the one where JimBob made one of the Howlers haggle for his present at a pawn shop.

Which ep is that?

[Handmaiden of Dog]

So this means JB and Michelle go out to eat at least 18 times a year (I doubt they take Josh out) but probably a lot more than that because they probably still have Date Night. I don't go out to eat more than 4 or 5 times a year...but then I am not as special as the MOTY or as rich as JB.

[Jana814]

At least they do something unlike the Maxwell's.

[roddma]

And at least they are somewhat better than the Jeubs who have one big birthday bash. I read somewhere the older Duggar kids birthdays are mainly to talk about and reinforce their beliefs.

[Dandruff]

Which ep is that?

I don't know what episode it was but am pretty sure it was for Justin's birthday. I also have a vague recollection (i.e., this may or may not be correct) that Jim Bob was encouraging Justin to haggle for that particular item since one of his younger sisters would enjoy playing with it.

[fullmetalheart]

I remember the episode where Gil Bates (I think he only had 16 then? I think it was actually an 18K&C episode) said that someone had made him a bet that he couldn't do all the kids birthdays and he was able to. JimBob was all "Uhhh.. I couldn't do that."