Wednesday of this week was one of my favorite days of the year; it was my husband, Frank‘s birthday. I’m not much for my birthday or commercial and religious holidays, but I do love Frank’s birthday because it is a day when I get to show him how much he means to me by going crazy and planning a whole day full of surprises. More on that later.
In brief, the best part of his birthday this year was when he asked his parents,
“Do you have any advice for me on my birthday?” and they responded with some excellent pieces of advice that we think are worth sharing.
Mom and Dad’s Birthday Advice for Your Mid-Twenties
- Live in a small, comfortable house
- Take day and weekend trips to take advantage of your child-free years
- Visit Europe
- Take courses for interest’s sake
- Take music lessons
- Learn to dance, and then dance
- Learn to cook, and then cook
- Be frugal
- Update your net worth statement every January 1st
- Set and review goals every year on the same date
Collectively, this is such great advice! In our 20s, we don’t need much space, but we do want to have great experiences, and we don’t yet have children to complicate things. These are the years when we have time to invest in and develop our own interests and skills, when our expenses are low, and our health allows us to tackle any adventure.
The only advice I have on the event of my husband’s birthday is for spouses…because birthdays are a great time to show the other person how much you love them.
How to Surprise Your Spouse. All Day Long. (Don’t worry, I promise this is clean content!)
- Take the day off, without telling them you are going to – and if they are also working, see if you can get their boss to give them the day off as well!
- Make their favorite breakfast meal and serve it up in their favorite place (I know, breakfast in bed is so cliché …but seriously, who doesn’t love having their favorite breakfast prepared and served to them in bed?
- Plan an activity, trip, or adventure that they have been wanting to do for awhile – even if it is not your favorite thing to do
- Pack a picnic with all of their favorite foods (and beverages), and keep it a surprise until lunch time
- Bring a camera and make them feel like the center of attention – whether that means they are taking all the shots, or featured in all the shots
- Leave a little room for the spontaneous. You don’t want the day to feel too regimented, and ask for their input about what else they want to see or do
- Take some time to tell them exactly how you feel about them and why
- If it would be important to them, include their important people in some aspects of the day
Now it’s Your Turn: Do you have any advice for someone in their mid-twenties? Do you have any spousal surprise ideas to share?
