Think back to your 21st birthday. How did you celebrate it? I celebrated mine away at college and I remember a keg, cigars and lots of friends being involved. Turning 21 was a really big deal.
Have you ever bought a birthday card for someone who is turning 21? Most of them acknowledge the great milestone you have reached and all the things you are legally able to do. Where do I find a card however for my princess obsessed daughter with autism that could care less about her new freedoms? There is not one princess card out there that says happy 21st birthday.
Let’s forget about the card. What about the actual birthday party? Of course she is asking for a princess party with real princesses. There are several companies out there that will arrange your child’s entire birthday party complete with any princess or superhero you want. The problem is they are all designed for children ages 5, 6 and 7. They provide story time, dancing, singing and party games for the birthday child and their friends. There are several packages to choose from and lots of options available. There is no package however for a 21 year old without friends.
Age appropriateness has been a thing in our house for a long time. When your child is young it’s not that noticeable. When they start to grow up and get bigger and taller and more mature looking it starts to get other people’s attention. At home there is no problem with being who you are and doing what you enjoy to do. It’s when you venture outside that it gets a little trickier.
So here we are faced with the birthday party dilemma. We could just pull out the princess themed decorations and blow up a bunch of pink and purple balloons. But this is the big 21. It’s a big deal (maybe not to her, but to us). We just want to make it something special. Most of us remember turning 21. In the years to come we want her to remember too.
Princesses and Predictability 