You’ll often see Bloggers, like myself include a Birthday Post, in which they post what they did on their Birthday, the beautiful outfit they chose to wear and the glorious location to which their partners flew them in order to celebrate this momentous day.

I am the first to admit that I absolutely love reading these posts, looking at their wonderful pictures and hearing about their adventure on that day, because for me it is like stepping onto Fantasy Island temporarily.

If you are reading this post, and you happen to be married with children and you are anything like me, you’ll be lucky if anyone even remembers your birthday, let alone flies you away in a private plane to some remote land for a five star meal.

I have noticed that there is a huge difference between the importance held for Birthdays, for single versus married people, and again for those who are married without children versus married with children.  Of course, it also changes with the age of the children.

So if you fall in the category of married with children and they are all under the age of 21, then let me raise my glass to you, for every year that your birthday came and went like the wind.

So how does this happen?  Well there are a million reasons.  For me, my youngest daughter’s birthday is 2 weeks after mine, however, the excitement and the planning for her birthday begins before I’ve even realised that mine is approaching.

To see the excitement on a child’s face over their fast approaching birthday celebration and the list of things they hope to acquire that will totally cramp up our living space, is priceless.

Often in life, when things are taken from us, they are replaced with something better.

OK- so we’ve traded the private plane trip to the remote destination, but it is nice to feel a little special on your birthday.  Not all women are married to Mr Romantic and sometimes after marriage and children, what started off as Mr Romantic has turned into Mr Clueless.

This is where all the single women come to our rescue.

Most single women love Birthday celebrations.  About 10 years ago, I joined in with group of friends, who are predominately single, in their celebratory birthday practice.  For each person in the group, we celebrate their birthday by all meeting for a lunch or a dinner at a restaurant that meets with everyone’s time commitments and budget.  It is organised by the Birthday Girl, or girls.  Often if two or more birthdays fall in proximity with one another, we celebrate them together.  As each person pays for themselves, it never puts strain on anyone’s financial position at the time.

It has been one of the most bonding and rewarding practices, I have incorporated into my routine.  It has been that private plane trip to that remote location.

You see when people pull together, with their only intention being, to validate you; it is one of the nicest feelings of all.  And it doesn’t have to be on your birthday.

Then again, it does seem like the perfect time.

Photography by MDH and Fagun Mishra

Special thanks to Chuck McElwee of AIR AUSTRALIA