Happy Birthday to You

While many of us spend too many hours fussing over the best or most appropriate musical choice for any given situation, few of us can admit that we have not sung or listened to one particular famous song which seems to transcend all cultures and generations—“Happy Birthday to You.” While the song’s exact origins are unprecise, it is crowned as the most recognizable song in the English language. In fact, it is owned under copyright law by the Warner Music Group, grossing more than $2 million dollars annually. While you don’t have to pay to sing it at your child’s birthday party (private performance), filmmakers, public performers, and even restaurant staff are obligated to pay by law (which is why most restaurants create a different tune for patrons). Interestingly, the most common birthday is October 5 (preceded in 9 months by New Year’s Eve…you do the math!), with the most uncommon birthday being May 22 (preceded in 9 months by August 25…apparently an otherwise slow day!).

While birthdays are nothing short of a major holiday for most of us, our American Forefathers viewed them very differently. In fact, most states did not even begin keeping birth records until the mid-1800’s, with this not officially becoming law until 1937. This means that most Americans prior to that time had absolutely no certainty regarding the exact day on which they were born! We find it difficult to fathom how one could possibly know their rate of maturation apart from their age in years. Think about it…one is mature enough to go to school at age 5 or 6, mature enough to drive at age 16, mature enough to vote at age 18, and so on. How did our forefathers judge one’s maturity apart from one’s age in years? An excellent book I am currently reading, The Vanishing American Adult by Ben Sasse, provides an answer:

In a largely agricultural economy, one’s age mattered less than one’s ability to complete specific tasks. The questions whether someone could complete their work; whether he or she was mature enough to marry; whether he or she was perseverant enough to navigate the challenges of adulthood. Children in colonial times and in the early days of the republic were treated less as “precious” and more as little workers who were just not yet very good at their work. Young people were viewed as “little citizens”—not to be coddled, but to be encouraged to contribute more and more to the greater good of their communities. Their worth was judged partly in terms of their output for their communities.

I don’t know if you have been to any children’s birthday parties recently (I have attended my fair share), but it seems as though the message from doting parents is that a child’s worth is found not in their rate of production but of consumption. Endless presents are laid before our little ones as they proceed to rip through them like a tornado, in eager anticipation of another. Unfortunately, the unintended consequence is that we are producing consumers rather than producers. This results in not only selfish children but also tragic results. When a mechanism does not work in the manner it was designed, that mechanism will malfunction. Our Creator made us to produce, not consume… “And the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). God made us with a glorious purpose…to produce! “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which he prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). I am not suggesting that we stop celebrating birthdays or that we stop buying our kids presents (much to Josiah and Allieray’s relief!), but that we consider the impact of coddling our children in the present rather than preparing them for their eternal destiny. They deserve more than the latest gadget…they deserve to know their worth in Christ! So, go ahead and make them earn their keep. They may surprise you with just how productive they are.

Wishing You a Happy Birthday,

Jason