A popular tradition in the Waldorf philosophy is the telling of a birthday story for children. A basic birthday story can be found in the book Beyond the Rainbow Bridge, by Barbara J. Patterson and Pamela Bradley. You can adapt this story to tell specifically about your child (children love to hear stories about themselves!).
In hopes of inspiring some of you to create your own birthday stories, I am sharing the story my mother wrote for my twin girls first birthday:
A Birthday Story for Avery & Natalie
High in the heavens in a place that many angels call home, there once lived two little angels who kept bumping into each other everywhere they went. When one was leaping high and laughing, she would see the other leaping and laughing too. When one was tossing her golden ball, she would see they other playing with her golden ball also. On one occasion they bumped into each and fell into a beautiful white cloud, and then as if in a dream, they saw the earth. There on the earth they saw a woman with a strong heart and beautiful eyes her name was Dana, and a man named Michael who had loving arms and a big heart. “They should be my parents", said one, "they should be my parents", said the other. They rushed to their guardian angels to see who would go to the earth to be with these parents. It was decided that both the little angels should go so that they might be doubly blessed. The little angels would take a long journey over a rainbow bridge to the earth, but first they must visit thehouse of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Together they went to the house of the sun. There they each received the gift of courage, it was placed under their hearts. Next at the house of the moon, they received the gift of wisdom, it was placed under each of the soles of their feet. Next, they went to the house of the stars and there they received the gift of the twinkle in their eyes that they might always see the humor in life.
On the earth, it was raining softly and the mother and father and much of the family was at the hospital of St. Luke waiting for the babies to arrive. Then, just as the little angels crossed the rainbow bridge, two baby girls came to the waiting arms of their strong and courageous mother. Their father smiled brightly as the first little angel came, a baby girl, "Her name shall be Avery Hope, for that is the very best name for her". One moment later, the second baby came, "We shall call her Natalie Raine,” And so the little angels received their first gifts on the earth, the gifts of their names.
Everyone cheered and laughed and cried when they were born. Aunt Carrie and Uncle Kai, Omah and Opah, Pa Lee and Ma Lee, Grandpa Walt and Nonie, and Gamma and Grandpa Larry. Everyone was so happy.
The babies were so tiny that the doctors and nurses helped to take care of them for a few days and then it was time to go home. Their little stomachs were no bigger than a walnut. Sometimes they nursed with mommy and sometimes they drank from little bottles. Mommy and Daddy were up with them night and day to make sure they had enough to eat, so that they might grow big and strong.
And they did grow bigger and stronger. When Natalie was three months old she was beginning to get a bald spot on the back of her head from always laying down. So she practiced everyday, trying to turn over and finally she did. Avery's hair grew into little curls that went every which way on her head. At first she seemed very shy and would turn her head away when someone talked to her. But then when she got used to everybody, she loved to laugh and play with everybody in her family. After Christmas they had a visit from Daddy Rudy and Mama Judy and then Nana and Pop came from Michigan. And when Aunt Carrie and Uncle Kai got married in June, they got to meet a bunch of cousins from Kentucky.
The babies loved to play with their toys on the floor with mommy. Sometimes, Callie, the dog, would play too. They loved when daddy would come home from work and hold them high in the air. First Natalie learned to crawl and then Avery. Their crawling looked like swimming on the floor then they learned to cross crawl. Natalie loved to find tiny things on the floor and Avery loved to unroll the toilet tissue. Avery learned to patty cake and then Natalie started also. And they started practicing language. First Nattie would say MaMaMa when she cried. Then they both said DaDa. By summer's end, they were "talking" all the time, but grown ups couldn't understand them yet.
Then autumn came again with the soft rains. It had been one year since the little angels crossed the rainbow bridge. It was time for Avery and Natalie's first birthday. And so today the family is here again, one year later to celebrate. We light one candle for Avery and one candle for Natalie for today, they are one year old.
The telling of the birthday story has become a tradition for us on every birthday. It is central to the celebration for our girls and now that they are getting older, they really love hearing all about themselves!
