Awkward Family Photos - Mike Bender [9]
… and we quickly discover that the fantasy is just a fantasy. We wake to calls from distant relatives singing off-key renditions of “Happy Birthday to You.” Our siblings, who we were sure would honor the truce, sabotage our special day by sticking their fingers in the cake before we’ve been served. We are forced to open a stack of corny birthday cards, and end up with boxes of clothes we’ll never wear. And in the ultimate violation of birthday law, our parents find a public moment to let us know that we’re being “a pain in the butt.” One big letdown after another, and we vow to ourselves never to celebrate another birthday again—that is, until next year. Only 364 days to go …
Another “boring” b-day moment brought to you by Chuck E. Cheese!
Shauna had to make some last-minute cuts to the guest list.
I remember that I was tired. I had been under the coffee table for a good half-hour before I decided to come out. My uncle was attempting to cheer me up with a sparkler. This only worsened my mood. Also, the cake was sub-par.
Autumn
Ottawa, Ontario
Our last name is Nightingale and my dad is a big fan of the pun. This combination led to a memorable birthday cake on my ninth birthday.
Matt
Tulsa, Oklahoma
This is the card that my mom and dad gave me. They were obviously very busy with planning the party and all the “Happy Birthday Daughter” cards were sold out. I asked my mom what she was thinking when she did it … she has never given me a straight answer.
Jessica
San Antonio, Texas
When I show this picture to people, I describe it as the picture that defines my childhood. My brother was always goofing off and trying to be the center of attention, even on my birthday. He just had to upstage my pink plastic Corvette, and all I could do was glare. I spent many years doing that.
Stephanie
Wilsonville, Oregon
Apparently, turning sixteen means that you can light up more than just the candles.
The older we get, the more awkward our special day becomes. Our kids get into epic fights, the cakes get fruitier, and our only wish is that everyone stops blowing the damn party favors.
raduation is a bittersweet time in our lives. On the one hand, we’re excited to have passed our final exams and achieved a major milestone. On the other, we are moving on to the next stage of life. Whether we’re transitioning from high school to college or college to the real world, we’re at a crossroads, we’re confused, and we have a lot of new decisions to make. But even with all of that pressure as we stand in our cap and gown, there’s something else that stresses us out even more.
For the first time in four years, our entire family has invaded our home away from home—our “safe zone,” where we are surrounded by friends and free from the awkward bondage of family. But with a familiar honk, the car that we spent a childhood fighting in pulls into the school parking lot and we see them approaching: our parents and grandparents wearing shirts with “I Kissed the Graduate” monogrammed in huge letters across their chests, and our pissed-off siblings, who blame us for being dragged there to sit in plastic folding chairs and listen to some contrived speech about “changing the world.” We realize that despite our accomplishments, our families are one institution that we will never be able to graduate from.
CJ was finally able to get the acceptance she was looking for from Dad.
He would always look back on that special year and think, “What if?”
It’s our special day and our siblings are just so excited to be there to share it with us.
This graduate is determined not to be another face in the crowd.
This is my father and me