The Clog has been talking a good deal about the implications of summer and being at home. After all, for a decent percentage of us, that’s what summer means. Laundry and home-cooked food aside, though, there’s yet another major difference summer presents students with: birthday bashes. Whether you’re at home with family or enrolled in summer sessions, there’s just something different about being a summer baby. Some of the differences are great! Some … not so much. Here is the list of pros and cons of celebrating summer birthdays that we were able to come up with:
Pros
1. No classes or tests! All right, so we guess once summer classes come into play, this isn’t always strictly true. But the chances of you having to cram for two major exams and a final essay on the same day are greatly reduced if you were born in the summer. Enjoy these years of being a student if you’re a summer kid. Once you get out there in the real world, there’s no such thing as summer vacation, unless you’d like to become a teacher and never leave the school scene.
2. Good weather. Who doesn’t love the sun? Being in California, to the envy of less cool states, we get to enjoy just the right amount of it. Summer kids get to take full advantage of this by planning birthdays at the beach, park and — if you live in SoCal — DISNEYLAND! That’s way better than being cooped up inside because it’s raining outside. It also means that you get to put away the clunky coats and pull out your shorts and sundresses.
3. Fewer conflicts. Think about it, how many major holidays or events are there from June till August? If you’re a summer baby you won’t have to share the day with Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Christmas or any other holiday you can think of. Sure, there’s the Fourth of July, but then you get free fireworks and extra sales to make it more affordable for people to buy you presents! You might have to share a birthday with a relative or friend, but summer’s got nothing to do with that unfortunate coincidence. Sorry.
Cons
1. No friends home. This is our biggest complaint on behalf of summer babies. We’re not calling you unpopular losers. But if you’re at home for vacation, chances are, other people are off doing their own thing too. All your friends won’t be conveniently gathered in one place to celebrate with you — plus, you may have family plans taking up your time too. You may get to see some if you’re still at Berkeley, but it won’t be quite the same. This means a lower chance of a “surprise” party too.
2. Summer crowds. If you decide to go out, be it to a restaurant or any other public venue, summer is always busier for businesses. Take our Disneyland plan, for example. Do you have any idea how many people pack into the park from June through August? It actually reaches maximum capacity. Kiddie rides end up with hour-long waits. Want to wait 45 minutes to go on Dumbo because you’re a kid at heart? This is the fate of a summer outing.
3. Fewer wishes. Now, this could actually go both ways, depending on your friends. If you socialize with adventurers, they may be galavanting around the globe during the summer and have less time to send you presents, cards or even a Facebook message. Then again, people may have more free time to check Facebook without classes or work and may send you a more thoughtful message on the day. We’ll let you decide on this one based on your respective people.
So, what do you think? Do the perks of being born when school’s out outweigh the negatives? So long as you get presents on the day, you don’t have too much reason to complain either way.
Image source: freakgirl under Creative Commons.
Contact Erum Khan at ekhan@dailycal.org or follow her on Twitter @erumjkhan.
The post The pros and cons of summer birthdays appeared first on The Daily Californian.