Last night i encountered a sight that sadly i am not used to seeing, the event in ? was a 4 yr olds birthday, no other happy smiling kids insight, no balloons, no music, no buffet and furthermore no cake and candles to extinguish, btw i'm no ballon chaser, just another day in thailand, some months back however the ladies elder son had a birthday and yep you guessed it all the trimmings were there.

Remembering the old home town many kids present and entertainment such as a bouncy castle, karaoke, or a beano laid on for all the kids at Mcdonalds.

I know some of you rightfully will point out that the thais have minimal money,but c'mon the kid was 4 and her mother isn't strapped for money runnng 5 various business premises, now it's off my chest my heart feels somewhat lighter.

Birthdays by and large aren't big events here....My Thai families children are thrilled with one candle and a small 7/11 type cake with the bday song.....No one else seems to mark their bdays except to be wished haapy bday...The big gifts for everyone seems to fall on NYr's celebrations....

Well in my complex with over 2k residents there is often karaoke going on for the adults birthdays and normally with food and a pig on a spit. unless where you are things are different, but thx for input.

I felt the same way when my Thai cousin turned 8. There was just a cake and a song. In Thailand they also sing "Happy birthday.... happy birthday...happy birthday to you" instead of "Happy birthday... dear *insert name*...happy birthday to you."

As a kid I had lot's of guests, a cake, balloons, games and stayed up till late at night.

When our highschool class took a 1 week trip to Berlin one of us had his 18th birthday, we all put our money together and hired a stripper to pop out of the cake and give him a lap dance. *sigh* good times. Now as an adult I hate birthdays, they only make sense until you're 21, then it's all downhill, hurray another year closer to the grave!