Flowers

Flowers and plants all have specific meanings, many of which are associated with love and
affection that can be incorporated into the child's birthday celebration. Give the child seven
flowers -- one for each year of life -- or use his birthday to plant something together and share a
life lesson. Plant white chrysanthemums, which symbolize truth, in your garden or outside his
bedroom window to remind him to always remain honest. Choose daffodils to represent faith,
honesty and forgiveness. Opt for pansies if the child lost a loved one during the past year as they
represent remembrance. Alternatively, choose the flower that represents his birth month, such as
carnations for a January birthday or roses for a June birthday.

Our 7th year is usually our age when we first enter a milestone. Nursery, kindergarten and
preparatory is now over. It’s time for a more challenging experience, the primary or elementary
education. But not just in terms of educational background, our 7th year is considered as the time
where we enter the age of accountability. It is the time where we are starting to have a moral
sense of right and wrong. Just like Batman. Our 7 years of age is usually the instance where we
are exhibiting a bit of maturity and a starting to have a sense of responsibility. And most
importantly, this is the moment in our lives where we become susceptible in keeping the
experiences in our minds meaning memories, constructive ones, are being saved by our brain.

The memories we have in this part of our life, particularly our 7th year of existence, make a
lasting impact in our lives. Good memories are contributing factors on how a person perceives
life. As I may put it, good memories in our childhood will translate in a positive outlook in life.

As I ponder about my life as we prepare and celebrate my niece’s 7th birthday, I went back to
memory lane to visit my 7th birthday. Honestly, my memories of my 7th birthday are very vivid,
detailed and profound. I guess an average individual would also remember his or her 7th birthday
with so much details. I celebrated my 7th birthday in Jollibee. I had a kid’s party and a giant bee
dancing Oh Carol to much delight of the guests. I remember everything from my 7th birthday. The
food, the gifts, the people, and most of all, the feeling. Looking back at my childhood, I can say I
had a fun, exciting and happy childhood. I’ve got to thank my parents for that. And I passionately
believe with all my heart that all the good experiences and knowledge I had in my childhood,
particularly on my 7th year, played a major role on how my life has shaped up now.

I took the Strengths Finder exam by Tom Rath and my number 1 theme is Positivity. People
regarded with a theme of positivity is an individual who is light-hearted, energetic,
enthusiastic and never loses hope no matter how bad the the circumstances are. Those
descriptions from Tom Rath actually ring a bell on how I am as a person. I really consider that my
childhood allowed me to have that kind of perception and perspective about life. If I had a lousy
childhood or a sad 7th birthday, I believe I am a different person than I am today. Big thanks to
my Dad and Mom who really made sure that I, along with my 3 sisters, had the best childhood any
kid would have. I thank God for my parents.

That’s why today, I commend my sister Skye and my brother-in-law Reggie, for putting up the best
efforts to give Chantal a memorable, special and big, big celebration for her 7 years of existence.
I am pretty sure Chantal will have a positive outlook in life no matter how difficult it is to live in
this world. She had an awesome birthday. She is having a not so bad childhood. I believe that will
help her on how her life will shape up few years from now.

That is the reason why I am convinced 7th birthdays are significant and crucial. I hope I made a
point. I believe every child deserves a great childhood and a 7th birthday celebration. It doesn’t
need to be expensive. It just needs to be the best of our means.I pray that parents would really
make a conscious effort to provide kids with the best childhood that they can have. Only parents
will have that kind of ability and also, responsibility.

And I pray to those who haven’t had the chance to have fond memories from their childhood that
caused them to have a different outlook about life and family. I pray that God would heal their
eyes, and their hearts, that they will always look at life as something that is good and worthy to
be thankful for. I pray they will always be full of optimism and hope.

Life is good. And our God is great. To my Dad and Mom, this blog is for you. Thank you for the

childhood you have given me! And to my niece Chantal, happy 7th birthday!

ccording to Wikipedia, “The Debut is a traditional Filipinocoming-of-

age celebration which celebrates a young woman’s 18th birthday, the age of
maturity in the Philippines.
Although also reaching maturity at 18, a Filipino man may mark his own debut on his
21st birthday, albeit with less formal celebrations or none at all.”

Similar to a sweet 16 or quinceanera, agirl who will turn 18 would throw this big party
wherein she may or may not have an entourage of pairs of odd numbers usually 18,9,7
or even 5. There would be traditional practices like the 18s. And a special performance
by the debutant.
18s

The most traditional of the 18s are the 18 roses, candles and 18 treasures.

18 roses(18 flowers)- the debutant has 18 significant males who would dance with her,
each giving her a rose or special flower. The first is usually the father or father figure
followingGother family members, relatives, friend and the 17 or 18th rose is usually
forthe debutant’s significant other or closest brother if not closest friend.

18 candles- 18 significant females in the debutante life who serve as her guiding light
throughout her life.

“Each delivers a short speech about her relationship with the celebrant, and any special
greeting, and lights a candle that is either held or placed on a stand.

Lastly, there are the (optional) 18 white roses. If a debutante is missing a figure in her
life such as a father, she chooses her 18 white roses in place of that figure.”

18 treasure(18 tokens)- 18 people of mixed genders would be giving the debutant a

special gift and then they would give this speech and tell the significance of their gift to
the debutant.

Other 18s

18 Blue Bills/18 k- older members would pin blue bills or thousand peso bills on the
debutante gown as the debutant dances with her escort.

18 books- for the bookworm debutant.

18 shoes/any other article of clothing- depending on the theme or of the debutante

choosing people gift her clothes or anything else

Throught the years a lot of other 18s emerged. The debutant can make up her own
unique 18s tomake.her debut that more meaningful.

program
Originally debuts are formal parties but in this age of time, debuts can be semiformal or
casual depending on the different preference of the debutant.

“A typical ceremony begins with a short prayer invoking blessings upon the debutante.
She then enters, and performs traditional dances with her court for their guests. The
most important one is known as the “GrandCotillion Dance”, usually a waltz.
Music and other performances are usually interspersed between the “18 items” rites,
while dinner and sometimes alcohol are served. A birthday cake ceremony often occurs,
and a fireworks display may conclude more extravagant parties. The night ends with the
debutante’s speech, in which she shares her thoughts on life and extends her gratitude
towards her guests.”

Sources: wikipedia