Our beautiful, funny, intelligent, kind, and magical daughter, Flora, will be nine years old at the beginning of March. NINE YEARS OLD. How is this possible? Where has time gone? I swear it only seems like a few months ago that we brought that tiny scrap home from hospital. Anyway, before I start weeping brokenly into my keyboard, it’s time for our annual tradition. I ask her the same 20 birthday questions every year, and have done so since she was three. It’s a wonderful idea I came across on Pinterest originally, so let’s see what she said before and what, if anything, has changed this year.
Last year
Last year the focus was firmly on dragons, sharks, Cressida Cowell, and marine biology. Even if she did request fish and chips for her birthday tea (something doesn’t seem quite right here…)
This year |
|
| 1. What is your favourite colour? | Turquoise |
| 2. What is your favourite toy? | My Light Fury and my Night Fury |
| 3. What is your favourite fruit? | Olives |
| 4. What is your favourite tv show? | The Big Bang Theory |
| 5. What is your favourite thing to eat for lunch? | Pancakes |
| 6. What is your favourite outfit? | My black panther vests |
| 7. What is your favourite game? | Minecraft |
| 8. What is your favourite snack? | Blue cheese and salted crackers |
| 9. What is your favourite animal? | Sumatran Tiger |
| 10. What is your favourite song? | Bohemian Rhapsody |
| 11. What is your favourite book? | Dork Diaries: Drama Queen |
| 12. Who is your best friend? | Isla and Florence |
| 13. What is your favourite cereal? | Crunchy nut cornflakes |
| 14. What is your favourite thing to do outside? | Bounce on the trampoline (although she’s banned when I sunbathe on it) |
| 15. What is your favourite drink? | Lime and soda |
| 16. Where is your favourite holiday destination? | Lanzarote and Cyprus |
| 17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? | My Light Fury and Night Fury |
| 18. What is your favourite thing to eat for breakfast? | Pain au chocolat |
| 19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? | Pizza |
| 20. What do you want to be when you grow up? | Aquarist / marine biologist |
Our family tradition
So dragons, olives and marine biology have remained as constants, as does a strong STEM ethos. Sadly, Mummy’s Sunday Roast has been supplanted by pancakes, so I’m not sure what that says about the quality of my cooking? But her music taste remains stellar, as does her choice of best friends.
Our family tradition has been going for a while now and some of my friends have started doing the same with their children. It’s such a lovely, easy, and memorable thing to do. I’m keeping a copy of all her answers from each year, along with a birthday photo, in a folder, ready embarrass her with on her 18th birthday. Which I’ve just realised is only another NINE years away. And now I’m off to sob over all the pictures from her earlier years, and I may be some time…
Do you do anything like this with your children? (Not necessarily the sobbing, I mean the questions!) Would this be a family tradition you’d like to start too?
This is the cutest birthday tradition EVER! I remember reading Flora’s answers from last year and wow, where actually has this year gone?! Bohemian Rhapsody is an excellent song choice and you can never go wrong with pizza on your birthday! Pancakes or Sunday Roast is a tough choice and thinking about Lanzarote and Cyprus is reeeallly making me want to go on a warm and sunny holiday! Great destinations! It’s awesome to see Flora is still passionate about her future marine biology career path 🙂 Thank you for sharing Lisa, and hope you have a wonderful birthday Flora and enjoy all the pizza! Adorable post and photos! <3 xxx
Thank you so much, Bexa 🙂 Funnily enough, it was Flora who reminded me that she needed to fill in her answers this year, and yes, her music taste is impeccable, not so sure about her food choices though, haha. She’s petitioning hard for a return trip to Lanzarote but we’re not so keen, there’s a whole world out there after all. And I’m so thrilled she still wants to be a marine biologist, I think she’d make a fabulous scientist, she’s so curious and so determined. Thank you for your lovely comment! xx
This is such a great tradition! I love it. Something I’m going to consider when I have kids!
It’s a great tradition, I’m sure your kids will love it too 🙂
I’m not okay with the fact I very clearly remember this from last year. It’s not okay that it has been a FULL YEAR. Once again, her answers did not disappoint. Olives and pancakes are both excellent choices in my opinion. I hope she has a wonderful birthday!! x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
Hahahaha, I know, where has time gone? I’ll go with olives and pancakes too but not at the expense of my Sunday Roast 🙂 Thank you, her birthday is shaping up to be a blast! xx
What a fantastic way to mark the occasion and capture the memory of each year of your child’s life! I wish I had thought to do something like this when my kids were smaller. It strikes me that it would do us all good to adopt a traditional like this as adults, too – to notice the incremental changes, the differences that continue to shape us into the “grown ups” we are meant to be.
I strongly support your daughter’s choice of music, and find it difficult to argue with pain au chocolat in any context; it sounds like you have a wise young lady in your midst!
Joan Senio
My Best Friend Adeline
https://kindness-compassion-and-coaching.com
Ah, thank you, Joan, that’s such a lovely thing to read. And yes, we most definitely have a very old head on young shoulders here – secretly, I agree over pain au chocolat too, haha! x
Blue cheese and crackers? Olives? BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY. Literally is she ME?! Honestly, Flora is the coolest kid I’ve ever heard of and with her answers, she seems so wise beyond her years. I love that she’s so set on what she wants to be when she’s older too. I love this tradition <3
Jenny
http://www.jennyinneverland.com
Awww, Jenny, that is so lovely of you! She is very cool, much more so than I was at her age (or indeed am now) and we are so proud of who she’s shaping up to be. We are very lucky to have her! xx
This was such a lovely post Lisa. I love how you have this tradition with your daughter and, if I had children, it would definitely be something I’d do with them. She has great taste in much – Bohemian Rhapsody is one of my favourites.
Happy early birthday to Flora.
Thank you, Kim, that’s so kind. I’m so glad I found this tradition, it’s such a lovely way of marking how her tastes are changing (or not in many ways) and yes, she has clearly inherited my excellent music taste, haha xx
Omgosh this is SO adorable! And what a wonderful tradition! I would of loved to of received this for my 18th Birthday! I can’t decide between Sunday Roast or pancakes though you got me there ! Hahah! Happy Birthday Flora, I hope you had a wonderful one! <3
Monica @ http://www.thewongblog.com
Thank you – I’m hoping Flora will like it too, I think she’ll be quite amused to read back her answers as a 3 year old for sure, haha! x
This is such a lovely tradition Lisa and it only seems like last month rather than last year that I was reading the answers on her 8th birthday! I hope Flora has had a wonderful birthday- I can’t get over how grown up she is for a 9 year old, blue cheese and crackers for a favourite snack- I’m pretty sure mine would have been jelly tots or something super childish at that age haha! I bet Flora’s excited for pancakes on Tuesday then- I know I am!
Soph – https://sophhearts.com x
Time certainly flies, I know what you mean about it seeming not that long ago. And yes, I would have gone for sweets or crisps too at her age, never olives in a million years, haha. Tbh, we’re both excited for Pancake Day, I just need to make sure we have some chocolate spread too 🙂 xx
This is so cute!! I’d absolutely love to do this when I eventually have children 🙂 Absolutely brilliant choice on the olives, I absolutely LOVE them and I must say, what a grown up taste on the blue cheese and crackers, I haven’t even developed a liking for mouldy cheese yet haha! She must be passionate about animals to want to be a marine biologist which is so lovely, what a goal! I hope her dreams come true and happy birthday Flora for when it comes around!
Alice Xx
Thank you! I love olives and blue cheese too, but not when I was her age, haha. I’m so proud of her career ambitions too, I think she’s so curious and determined that she’ll be brilliant at this, fingers crossed the enthusiasm continues 🙂 xx
OMG Lisa just a few months back I read this post of yours and a year has already gone by. I love this tradition that you are following. I remember the Marine biologist thing. My best wishes for Flora. I will enjoy reading her answers the following years to come. 🙂
Via | http://glossnglitters.com
Thank you so much, Via, I’m so glad you enjoyed the update – and yes, time is flying by, sob! xx
This is an absolutely wonderful tradition! What a great way to document how she grows and develops as a person. I love that some of the things have stayed the same, but I’m sorry your cooking has been pushed aside for pancakes. I hope she had a wonderful birthday and enjoyed some pizza!
Thank you, Ruth, I wish I could take the credit but it’s down to good old Pinterest, haha. I’m sorry too about my cooking but I can never say no to pancakes either! x
We do the same with my 9 year old. Her friends also stay the same since 3 years old which is nice to see. I love how you are bringing yours up surrounded by Stem and hope she fulfills her Marine biology dreams 😊
Oh, it’s such a lovely tradition, isn’t it? I’m so glad I found it. And how wonderful that your nine year old has such good friends! Thank you so much for your lovely comment 🙂
What a lovely idea. I wish I’d seen this when my kids were younger. We’re never in the same room long enough now to get through 20 questions 😂
Ah, I only have one child, so it’s easier to pin her down!