So last week my dad tells me, "your mom's birthday is the 20th, Thursday. Call her and say happy birthday. Don't tell her I told you!"
My mom's birthday is on the 20th of November? If you asked me two weeks ago, I wouldn't have known. I think I know my dad's birthday, though I believe we didn't start celebrating it until my high school years. End of July, maybe?
But this birthdate of my mother's... I know this isn't when my mom celebrates her birthday. She uses the old Korean lunar calendar to figure out her birthday. This means it moves around every year. Sometimes it's near Christmas, and sometimes it's in January. And she never tells anyone when her birthday is that year.
But my dad insists that this is her birthday, according to the solar calendar. So I call today, to give her the obligatory birthday message on her American birthday. She thanks me, but it doesn't really mean much to her because, well, to her this is a random day of the year.
my parents are odd.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
I think having an adjustable birthday would be cool!
Maybe your dad is just more into US culture than your mom is. Is there a pattern of this on things other than birthdays?
AJ
Posted by littlemissattitude (Member # 4514) on :
Nothing unusual in celebrating a birthday on a day other than the one the person was actually born on. I have a cousin who was born on Christmas day. So, when she was still living at home, her family always gave her a birthday party on the Fourth of July - cake, presents, the whole nine yards. That way she got a celebration with gifts away from when everybody gets gifts. Even though she also got a birthday cake on Christmas. How can two birthday cakes a year be a bad thing?
Posted by Eruve Nandiriel (Member # 5677) on :
Heh, my birthday is on June 25. It's EXACTLY 6 months from christmas. It really works out 'cuz as soon as I'm going broke, I get presents! Posted by Kayla (Member # 2403) on :
All parents are odd.
Posted by Julie (Member # 5580) on :
My is in June too so I've always felt that I have great timing on when money comes in. Wow that sentence makes little to no sense! And I must say my first reaction to the title was, "Is there any such thing as normal parents?" I think all parents seem a little odd to their kids until they learn to appreciate the uniqueness.
Posted by Ayelar (Member # 183) on :
That's a great idea, lma! Maybe I'll surprise Mark for his half-birthday this year. Posted by Janger (Member # 4719) on :
My parents are korean and I know nothing of this Korean lunar calendar. Are you speaking of the chinese zodiac type birthdays?
Posted by Suneun (Member # 3247) on :
I just think it's odd that my father insists on celebrating my mom's birthday today and she's practically oblivious. The kids all sent her flowers/fruit/nuts and stuff. And she's pretty much like, "Err, thanks... I guess"
Shrug!
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Your mother clearly doesn't see the possible advantages in this.
I grew up celebrating two birthdays every year -- the solar calendar one, and the Jewish lunar calendar one.
Having two birthdays is cool. Ask my kids.
Posted by Mrs.M (Member # 2943) on :
Jewish birthdays are fun, especially if you were born in a leap year like me.
I was born on the 7th of Adar II. This year my birthday will be on the 16th of Adar. The year after that it will be on the 28th of Adar I. You should hear me trying to explain that to people who don't understand the Jewish calendar - it's like Who's On First?
BTW, Suneun, if this is the oddest thing about your parents, then you have the least odd parents that I have ever heard of.
Posted by Suneun (Member # 3247) on :
don't worry, this is certainly one of the less odd things about them.
perhaps the one that surprises most people is that while my parents have been married to each other my whole life, I have never _ever_ seen them hug/kiss or act in any way non-platonic to each other.
Posted by Eruve Nandiriel (Member # 5677) on :
quote:Jewish birthdays are fun, especially if you were born in a leap year like me.
My dad knew a guy who was born on leap DAY. Poor guy. He never knew how old he was...
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
At a guess, your mother's birthday was deliberately recorded as a date after the first Korean NewYear following her birth. By celebrating her actual (rather than official) date of birth, you have made her a year older: ie a person born on January15th2000 and another born on December15th2000 are both 2years old immediately after NewYearsDay 2001; both 5years old immediately after NewYearsDay2004.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)