Mom's 98th Birthday

We did not celebrate birthdays when we were growing up in our native country. We were considered being a year older at the beginning of the year with no fanfare and that was that. Our children grew up where birthday celebrations are routine. We celebrate birthdays of ourselves, of our children, of our grandchildren. I usually have gifts for my mom on her birthdays, but I had been observing the birthday on paper, not my mom’s real birthday. Last year when my second daughter gave birth to her firstborn, my mom and I spent three months in Hawaii to help take care of the baby. All five of us (my daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter, my mom, and myself) have birthdays during the three months my mom and I were there. We celebrated all of them. That was the first year I observed my mom’s birthday on her real birthday. When we came back to Texas, we celebrated another birthday for her, the one on her paper. 

My mom has dementia and she doesn’t really know when her birthday is anymore, either the real date or the date on the paper. She doesn’t remember that she had two birthday celebrations in 2024. She doesn’t expect birthday celebrations, but she enjoys being around family members. I brainstormed with my daughter that we should celebrate my mom’s birthday every year during the summer when my siblings could easily come (my sister is a teacher and has summers off). My older brother who used to live in Houston suggested Memorial Day weekend for the birthday celebration so it would be cooler. My sister agreed because she had a long weekend. So that’s what we did.

On Sunday, May 25 2025 we had a celebration for my mom in Texas. My mom never suspected that it wasn’t really the date of her birth. It doesn’t matter. She was so happy being surrounded by family members. We had a total of 14 people in attendance. My older brother and his wife and three children came from California, Washington, and Ohio. My sister came from Illinois. One of my daughter’s friends came. Our four-generation household have seven people, including my mom. We had a feast and a blast. My mom had a big smile on her face. Among the gifts, she seemed to treasure the complete set of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, translated into our native language, the best.

It was a fun time for all. My nephews are not too old to enjoy the company of my nine-year-old granddaughter and twelve-year-old grandson. They swam, watched movies, rode bicycles, played pickleball, and played board games together among other things. My niece prefers the company of my daughter and son-in-law. My sister-in-law made a delicious brunch for everyone the day of the party. My brother and sister and I had some sibling time together. Everyone participated in my two daughers’ 100-days-of-ukulele project. We are so thankful to be able to celebrate my mom’s 98th birthday. We hope to continue this new tradition for many more years.