Of course, it is too late to change or question your birthday now. Either nature or our parents decided on that date long ago, and now we must live with and try to love it. However, many people have thought at least once in their lives that the timing is inconvenient or leads to more hassle than celebration. If you could choose another month or even day, would you? For me, the entire month of April is just not the best time to celebrate my birthday. Now, even though I would not change the date for anything, I still have my list of grievances.
1. April Fool’s Day.
For April babies born on this specific date, receiving gag gifts is almost tradition and an inevitable consequence of celebrating your birthday on the national day of silliness. Of course, for the rest of us, having a birthday even in the same month of April Fool’s Day is just as risky. Being threatened to lose all your impending gifts if you pull any pranks can easily take all the holiday cheer out of this first day of April. Even after almost 22 years, I am still warned about this far-from-idol threat and must choose whether to celebrate April Fool’s Day or my birthday.
2. April showers.
There is a good reason why April’s temperamental weather has earned its infamous reputation. April is one of those early spring months during which any kind of weather can occur, including the inevitable showers and even frost and hail. Sunshine is, of course, also present as nature finally wakes from its winter slumber. However, despite the warmth and rays, birthday celebrators have every right to be suspicious of the weather. Because of April’s inconsistencies, many cautious people must choose to honor their birthdays indoors or even have a backup plan. Otherwise, they risk celebrating with high winds and sudden thunderstorms.
3. Easter.
Even though Easter Sunday occasionally occurs in March, its frequency in April often claims one of the few weekends in the month. Of course, Easter is usually a wonderful time of fellowship with friends and family. However, people born on the same week of an Easter Sunday get a brief glimpse of what those born on Christmas Day experience. Not many events can compare to such a significant birthday or resurrection. For those of us born in April, the celebrations combined with Easter festivities might also result in more child-friendly activities like painting and hunting for Easter eggs, no matter one’s age or resistance.
4. School exams.
Anyone who has a birthday in April probably still inwardly cringes at the remembrance of one of the most reliable and disheartening April constants, having to study for exams and write essays instead of celebrating. Those of us born in the middle or end of April, especially, are familiar with the unlucky overlap of school demands and birthday fun. Of course, school always takes priority at this point in the semester. During this time, we must choose the caffeine instead of the birthday cake. Weeks may even pass before one’s birthday can be celebrated properly, and by then we just wish for rest.
5. End of semester activities.
As if the exams and research papers were not enough, celebrating an April birthday while still in school must also get in line behind preparing and attending any final activities or meetings of a semester. For college kids, especially, all the events seem to happen in the last three weeks of April. Having to juggle social responsibilities with the academic struggles leaves little time or energy for acknowledging one’s birthday, let alone celebrating it with more than a breakfast muffin. Parties, presents and balloons will just have to wait until after the semester ends, which might then also coincide with one’s graduation and result in another hybrid celebration.
It takes a lot of patience and resilience to be an April baby, but I am pretty sure my fellow birthday celebrators would have it no other way.
