Today is my half-birthday. No, we don’t really celebrate half-birthdays around here, but I usually mention them to the kids, because when I was young, my half birthday felt very important.
After all, my half-birthday was that special day when I went from being whatever age I actually was to “almost the next age.”
Example: Five-and-a-half was consistently expressed as “almost six.” Which, as you know, is so much older than plain old five. But it wasn’t until I had rounded the corner on that half-birthday that I felt comfortable switching to “almost six.” I had standards, you know.
Nine-and-a-half was particularly special because it meant I was almost into the double digits, which, for some reason, felt like an enormous milestone to 9-year-old me. And 12-and-a-half? Well, I’m sure you can imagine that being “almost a teenager” felt incredibly grown up.
These days, as you might guess, I don’t think too much about my age. There have been times when I’ve actually been surprised to realize that I’m quite a few years past 28. It seems I always feel 28, no matter what year the calendar says.
And as for my half-way mark around the birthday year? I acknowledge it in passing, but I certainly don’t switch to saying I’m “almost” the next age! No, I’m more likely to stick to the safe “thirty-something” or admit I’m “in my mid-thirties.” I don’t mind my age, but I don’t feel compelled to proclaim it or dwell on it either.
I guess I’ll just save the excitement of half-birthdays for the kids, and smile when they tell me how old they “almost” are.
You know you’re getting older (and don’t really care how old you are) when someone asks you your age and you have to sit there and think about it. For longer than 5 seconds.
And I’m only (mentally calculating…) 35 and maybe almost 3/4.
LOL – Until just a couple of years ago, I made a 1/2 cake for my kids’ half-birthdays! It helped that they were born 12 days apart, so their half-BDs are too. I’d make a whole cake, pop 1 layer in the freezer for the next one, cut the other one in half, and frost. So it would be a semi-circle two layer cake! And I’d usually put the number of candles + 1/2 of a candle. No presents though!
Especially since all 4 of our birthdays are within a month of each other, it brought some fun into the other half of the year.
28, huh? I think that I feel 32.
i used to love my half birthday! yeah but not so much anymore! and btw, i feel 39!!
this reminds me though – today is Corey’s bday (5). poor little guy – i can never remember his birthday. well, i remembered, but too late to do anything on time.
If I’m feeling energetic, I make half-birthday half-cakes for my Boy, because his half birthday falls in teh middle of the summer when there’s nothing to do. My girls’ half days fall right near Christmas, though, and so they’re out of luck.
I think half-birthdays are cute. I have to laugh at the kids when I say, for example, ‘So, you are five?” and they reply with “No, I’m five and a half!”. haha, oops! Their parents should have told me they were not five, they were five and a half, huh? lol
We celebrate spiritual birthdays here. You get to choose dinner & an family activity.
we always celebrate half birthdays because my girls were born 18 months apart. so when they are so little, its good to let the other one get a small b-day-like celebration
i totally agree with you…. i do NOT need reminding how fast my life is flying by!!!
I’m so with you! I forget how old I am all the time! In my mind’s eye, I’m 28–but then I look in the mirror and I wonder, “WHO are you?” When asked my age, I always have to think about it and my husband has even had to correct me before when I answered on the low end!