Family Affairs and other matters

My gorgeous, funny, challenging six year old is going to be 7 on Saturday. He has the coolest birthday ever, especially this year. He is going to be 7 on the 7th of the 7th 2007 – how cool is that? We have been planning his birthday for months, obviously. I suggested a Rugby 7′s party and he cried because it meant he would only get 7 presents – trying to explain that there would be two teams involved did not console him – he wanted BIG – Olympic games big, everybody in the class big, millions of presents big.

Anyway, he’s been typing out lists, planning games, cross referencing lists, ticking things – names? Can’t tell, it’s all completely illegible. I try and stay out of it these days. To be honest I’m completely bored of childrens birthday parties (I’m up to 31 now). Luckily for me my 11 year old daughter is hugely into the whole thing and has taken control. She makes the cake, plans the games, blows the whistle, gets completely stressed – I love it…I just drink champagne and smoke (although have now given up so will perhaps borrow fake cigarette in hope that it helps, which it won’t). My 14 year old is also going to help organise the games, as is their father – so I really won’t have to do very much apart from make 25 million sandwiches which they won’t eat, provide drinks, crisps, sweets, light candles, start off singing, sort out tears, sort out party bags, wrap loads of presents, put up a Gazebo as it will rain, shout at everybody in charge because they are not in control, stop my son from playing Fifty Cent and Tenacious somebody during pass-the- parcel (which he did last year) and talk to all the grown-ups who decide to hover around and watch a children’s birthday party instead of buggering off to the pub, or the golf course or the shops in a moment of freedom. Can’t wait.