While working on a range of children’s birthday cards, and pondering whether to add an age onto the designs or in look into the personalised route, it dawned on me that cards for the under 3′s are not brought for the birthday child – not really. I can hear all you saying ‘No that’s not true, the birthday card I buy, is always for the birthday boy or girl’. I don’t doubt that you have good intentions when looking to purchase that special birthday card.

However we are overlooking a few things like: have we forgotten that under 3-year-olds cannot open envelopes properly or neatly, unless tearing the envelope and birthday card, while eating a little bit of the envelope is acceptable? Isn’t this the reason why we knowingly give the birthday card to the parent instead of the ‘Birthday Child?

Not convinced ok, then what about the image on the front on the card. We know the routine when it comes to buying cards, so there’s no need to lie. We ladies can spend hours looking for that perfect greeting card, but when it comes to a birthday card that has to have a 1, 2, or age 3 on it, it has to convey that extra bit of cuteness we all love. We as the buyers have to be able to go ‘arrrrr’ before the birthday card gets shortlisted. After we have looked through the 5 – 10 which were lucky enough to get shortlisted the cutest birthday card is chosen. Then after all that when we take this cutest birthday card to the birthday household, we carefully hand it to the parent of the ‘Birthday Child’. We stand there with bated breath as the parent opens the envelope and looks at the card image. While looking on, we are thinking ‘will they think it’s cute enough to give it an ‘arrrr’ and show it off to those around or will it get a ‘that’s nice’, quickly moving on to the next cards’.

For blood pressure’s sake, we’ll let the card get its arrrr and is shared with those around. Having that acceptance we bashfully say, oh it was nothing really, then like clockwork the parent shows the birthday card to the ‘Birthday Child’. Evidently the birthday child is sitting on the floor surrounded by great looking presents, but having a great time with the wrapping paper and an empty

box.

Now, are you thinking more on the lines of who we really buy the birthday cards for?

No, o.k this is the last one. You have brought the cutest birthday card ever and what do you do. You sit down at the table with pen in hand and write a lot of special sentimental words. Now, who is going to read those special words, for as we already know under 3-year-olds cannot read as fluently, as you wrote those 6 lined verses, which you drafted 3 times before committing it to the greeting card?

There you have it, we are not buying these cards for the one who’s birthday it is, even though we start out with them in mind, instead, we are really buying for the parent of the birthday child. Now looking at the greeting card industry should we continue to have titles like ” Happy Birthday, 1 today’ or should we start seeing this title ‘To the parents of the Birthday Girl or boy aged 1 today’. Food for thought.

Question: Would you purchase a birthday card with the title beginning with ‘ To the parents of the ‘,

I would love your comments on this; I look forward to reading your views.

Have a Great Day

Janet