Today was Bea’s ninth birthday. I took the day off work to be with her and do all the things she wanted to do. This included being hurled around in some simulator machine that literally had us upside down and to each side and all over the place. Apparently it went on for two minutes, it felt like several hours. The contrast between that and the blissful Yoga Nidra I had just come from could not have been greater.

Following my near-death experience on the cartoon roller-coaster came the search for a pink MP4 player. After two hours we settled on red. Then we had the party.

I have always thought there is far too much food at kids’ parties so I went minimalist. Two pizzas and a birthday cake. No coke or sprite; just fruit juice and water.No one complained about the food or lack of it, and we still have half a birthday cake.

As for the actual party, well I’m not sure how much the guests enjoyed it but Bea had the best time ever. There was a karaoke machine and once I introduced her to ‘Iiiiiiiiiii will always love youoooooo’ by Whitney Houston there was no stopping her. She sang it again and again and again.

She lost all interest in the presents and the bowling (which we never got round to) and the cake. It was only the promise of a manicure (pictured below) that got her away from the microphone.

After the party we went for a walk. “Thank you for the best day ever Mummy, and for inspiring me,” she said hugging me and kissing me. “I am going to be a singer, that’s all I want to do, if I can’t do that I will feel like I have failed.”

Not many people would call my rendition of that song inspiring. In fact I remember when it first came out I drove all my girlfriends mad on a skiing trip singing it endlessly, but perhaps when Bea makes it to number one they will all forgive me.

Maybe a number one hit will be her nineteenth birthday present?

Copyright: Helena Frith Powell 2009