'No new gifts': Mum's unusual birthday party request for other parents
By Madhurima Haque|
One mum has shared her unconventional method of ensuring she is not faced with a mountain of gifts at the end of her children's birthday parties.
Writing for Business Insider, mum-of-two Katrina Donham described the dilemma she had after her first daughter's first birthday party.
Taking place right after the worst part of the COVID-19 pandemic, their family celebrated the occasion by showering gifts on the newest addition of their family.
But the problem lied in the fact the gifts were not right for her – from shoes she wouldn't wear to clothes she didn't like the texture of.
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Donham found herself facing a feeling of overwhelm. "The 'invisible load' of motherhood began to accrue," she said.
Over time and as she welcomed another daughter two years later, Donham realised that as more kids entered her life, the more kid's birthday parties she would have to attend – and buy gifts for.
But instead of being wasteful, she came up with a solution that could utilise what she had on hand while also providing joy to a child.
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"I am grateful for all the love that flows for our girls when it's their turn, but I am over the constant purging, donating, and managing of my children's things," she said.
"It's all left me wondering how I might lighten both my own and another parent's load – how we might be able to show up for our children but also for our planet.
"That's when my idea was born: I would directly ask parents NOT to buy new gifts for our daughters' birthday parties.
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"Instead, I would pick an item category, like books, and ask invitees to select a book from their own home collection to bring as a gift," she explained.
She, in turn, would provide an exchange table to parents and offer them and their children the option of simply contributing the gift or also taking one from the pile (compiled from Donham's own home library) to take home for themselves.
Donham hopes by modelling this sustainable gift system that "my child and their friends will begin to slowly understand the idea with each passing year. One day, perhaps they will look forward to passing along their well-loved items to another on their special day.
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"By gifting from our own collections, we're making choices that are less wasteful and are easier on the environment.
"I also want my children to independently choose among their treasures and let go of something that might spark another's joy, which will hopefully spark their own joy, too."
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