From Birthday Bumps to Bouncy Castles

Somewhere between booking balloon artists and debating if the magician should enter before or after the fondant cake reveal… we forgot what birthdays used to feel like.

When we were kids, birthdays were magic. And the magician wasn’t a guy in a sparkly jacket pulling pigeons out of a hat. It was my mom. Year after year, she pulled off the best parties with nothing more than herself and Chotu, our house help. Between the two of them, they did it all. The decorations, the snacks, the cake, the chaos. And so, naturally, when I had kids, I wanted to do the same. To throw the best birthday celebrations, the kind where things may not be perfect, but memories are.

Today, kids’ birthdays come with full production crews — balloon guys, décor guys, game guys, even someone hired just to sprinkle confetti at the right moment. Back then, it was just my mom and her ideas. And honestly? She didn’t need a team. She was the team — decorator, caterer, referee, and DJ, armed with nothing but crepe streamers, samosas, and a steel plate for musical chairs.

And yet, those parties were epic.

The birthday dress? Nothing less than a national event. It was either shiny, itchy, frilly — basically a disco ball with sleeves. Tried on every day till D-day, complete with lace socks, a headband that could cut off blood circulation, and those deadly matching ballies or Indian wear that was so extra, you’d swear you were crashing a wedding – not just a party!

Now? Kids roll out birthday wardrobes like they’re prepping for Paris Fashion Week. There’s the ‘entry gown,’ a ‘mid-party change,’ a ‘cake cutting look,’ and of course a ‘backup outfit’ — in case the first three weren’t enough. Bonus points if mom and daughter are twinning in matching gowns!

Take the games. Kids today aren’t spoiled, they’re privileged. They get choices. Want your birthday in a mystery room? Done. Gaming arcade? Sure. Bowling alley? Why not.

My options?

Musical chairs – The DJ?..A steel plate and spoon. You heard the ting ting ting stop and knew it was time to shove your best friend off the nearest chair.

Friendships were tested, alliances were broken, and the winner walked away with a toffee prize that felt like pure gold.

Passing the Parcel – Tell a joke,” they said. Act like your favourite actor? Please, I was eight. My best material were the “knock knock” jokes!

Newspaper dance - That was basically couples’ yoga before we even knew what yoga was — balance, strategy, style — all on one shrinking square of Times of India paper!

But the real deal? 4 corners – where each corner was labelled Tokyo, Paris, Delhi…or London..running across the room like we were actually boarding flights.

And finally — The Khoya Bag. The original WWF of birthday parties. A sack stuffed with toffees, erasers, whistles, broken crayons, and sheer chaos. Elbows flying, hair pulling, and the poor father standing on a chair with the bag was just hoping not to topple over.

Now? No chaos, no hair-pulling—just Pinterest-perfect return hampers. Pre-packed, labelled, themed, and Instagram-ready. Each one with stickers, slime, fidget toys, and a thank-you note that looks like it came from a wedding planner. No fights, no drama. Honestly… kind of boring.

Then there was the snack table. Back then it was chips — the salty kind that left your lips burning but you still fought for the last handful. A mountain of hakka noodles that disappeared faster than you could grab a fork. And those jelly-custard cups that looked like a failed science project but somehow had zero leftovers.

Today? You get pasta in five sauces, DIY sushi counters, and gluten-free cupcakes — the kind everyone photographs, nobody eats, and three moms still ask the recipe for!

Finally, came the grand moment — the Cake. Chocolate, pineapple, or the ultimate Black Forest, with that one red cherry perched on top like it was guarding national secrets.

And of course — the birthday bumps. Nothing beat being launched into the air by your friends, butt bruised, screaming through each count, and bracing for that “one for luck” that always stung the most.

Kids now? They bounce in castles. Adorable, sure. But no inflatable palace can match the absolute chaos of your friends almost dropping you mid-air.

But a Birthday is a Birthday — whether it ends in musical chairs or a dinosaur cake smash. Here’s the truth though — both versions are special. They keep evolving.

And maybe that’s why I can’t stop writing this blog— because the second I think of one memory, ten more come crashing in. The cake fights, the whistle-in-every-return-gift chaos, the “aunty can I have another samosa?” chorus. It’s endless.

My daughter’s turning 14 soon and she wants a “Summer I Turned Pretty”–themed party. Do I approve? Honestly, not sure. But whether I like it or not, we’re live-streaming the finale episode while a group of teenagers debates Team Conrad vs. Team Jeremiah.

It’s never about opposing the new or clinging to the old.

Birthdays may change — our era had jelly cups and birthday bumps, theirs have glow-in-the-dark dances and cakes spinning like UFOs. But at the end of the day, it’s not about décor or hashtags; it’s the stories we’ll laugh about later. One day, I just know my daughter will tell her kids, “My mom let us live-stream a teen-drama finale at my birthday.” And that, my friends, is her version of jelly-custard magic—with better Wi-Fi.

For now it’s a wrap – off to decode the difference between ‘aesthetic’ and ‘cringe’ before the party starts …with my Cold Coffee!!