For one birthday, I made a sheet cake shaped like a rocket ship. For another, a baseball diamond in honor of his Little League team. Another was a hockey rink to celebrate his love of ice hockey. There were also Mickey Mouse cookies. I only used chocolate recipes, since that was his favorite flavor. If the other kids didn't like chocolate...well, they could pass. Our younger son's birthday was during the summer, so he was out of luck in school.Yesterday one of our granddaughters celebrated her birthday. In her school there were no cakes, cupcakes, or cookies for the celebration.
There were too many allergies: dairy, citrus, nuts, eggs, soy, cocoa, lactose, gluten. We didn't even know such things existed in the '70's! We discovered our sons' allergies when one was bitten by a bee and both sneezed uncontrollably on newly-mowed ball fields.
Yesterday our granddaughter dressed in her favorite shirt with a big star on the front. She had kept five pigtails in all night so her straight hair would curl. She wore a new Peace necklace and a new starfish bracelet, both gifts. She couldn't sit still during breakfast.
"How will you celebrate in school today?" I said.
"I get to sit in the teacher's chair at her desk," she said. "And spin."
"Will it make you sick?"
"No, I'll do seven slow spins."
"Why seven?"
"Because that's how old I am today, silly grandma! And I get to lead the class in a game."
"What game?"
"The clapping game, and then they all sing to me."
"Sounds like fun! Will you eat anything?"
"No. I don't like sweets anyway. It's more fun to spin."
At least her mother didn't have to stay up baking. And there wouldn't be any kids bouncing off the wall from a sugar high.
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