I’m not a coddler. Not really. Well yeah, I gave in and let Thalia have cereal for dinner tonight. And we let her pick the midget Christmas tree. And yeah, sometimes I say okay, you can watch six consecutive Max and Rubys and go out in a blizzard without your hat. But overall, I try not to indulge her every whim.

Some of them. But not all of them.

This week I got an email from her school suggesting that I bring in treats to celebrate Thalia’s half birthday.

Half birthday.

I balked.

Indeed, yesterday was Thalia’s half-birthday. And I think that’s pretty cute. Kids love saying they’re ____ and-a-half, right? I don’t mind acknowledging it. But is it really necessary to celebrate all the summer birthdays early so that our fragile little darlings won’t feel left out of the chance to blow out a candle on a mini cupcake in front of the classmates whose names she doesn’t even entirely remember yet?

I’m going to say no.

(Don’t hurt me, coddlers!)

So, Thalia’s birthday is July 6. So, she’ll never have enough friends around that weekend to fill a jumpy castle. Sage, whose birthday is in May, probably will. But you know? Thalia will always have fireworks. And warm weather. And open beaches, parks and amusement parks for smaller celebrations. She can wear a sundress and walk around barefoot. She can eat ice cream with her cake in season. (Take that, Capricorns.)

I am in love with our school and Thalia’s teachers. I don’t think it’s about them, it just seems to be a trend that you bend over backwards to treat every kid equally, even if that means celebrating a totally uneccesary half-birthday. Or playing little league games that don’t keep score. Or giving every kid an award who runs in a race, even the one teeny little kid with the spazzy run who flails her arms and comes in like ten minutes after all the other kids.

(I can say that by the way because that pretty much describes Thalia.)

I think I get it from my own mom when I say that treating kids fairly doesn’t mean treating them all exactly the same. That’s my take.

Nate’s take?

He’s in the kitchen right now baking an inordinate number of cupcakes from a gourmet Barefoot Contessa mix, making cream cheese frosting that somehow incorporates a lavender simple syrup, and experimenting with food coloring shades for the perfect shade of pink. Also, loving every minute of it.