<p>My S will have his birthday in a couple of weeks and I was wondering if some of the experienced parents here could give suggestions on what they have done for their child’s birthday while he’s away at college? Since he just left last week it’s hard to imagine him being hard-up for anything this soon. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>I was just thinking about this tonight too! My freshman D will turn 17 in October and I realized that this will be the first birthday away from home and not with us. She has had a party every year. I guess I’ll have to think about this. She already got her presents in advance (too many big things needed to start college so they were birthday gifts). Right now, just dealing with her leaving. But then, I’ll have time to think about how she might be able to celebrate her birthday and what part, if any, we should play in making anything happen for her at college. I guess no more sleepover parties for me! LOL
Susan</p>
<p>My son has an August birthday. Last year when he was a freshman, I told him to invite 10-12 friends to a local restaurant in town and I arranged to pay the check. He attends the state U and there were several of his HS friends there. He invited them, as well as his new roommate and some of his friends’ roommates. It was a good opportunity for all of them to meet new kids.</p>
<p>Tookie,
My son also has an Oct. birthday and this will be his last at home. My niece and nephew are in college and have fall birthday’s. They wished they could celebrate at home, but this is what my sister did and a neighbor of mine for some ideas.
My sister of course called and sent a card, online and paper. Then she had a box of gifts sent to her to arrive on her birthday and a cake! Her dorm loved her for that and looked for the brownies and other things she sent during the year. For her son, he was an hour or so away, so they went up that weekend and took him to dinner and gave him his gift. Another year she sent him a G.Cert. to a restaurant nearby, that he could to with a couple of friends. He had a ball and told her that he almost forgot what a good steak tasted like.
I have heard of parents sending packages where balloons come out, etc. but I think it depends on your kid, their college and their mail system. Just connecting in some way if you can’t see them is all that matters.</p>
<p>There used to be a thread about this, but I can’t find it now.</p>
<p>For both of my Sons, for their first birthdays at school, I emailed as many people (friends, relatives, their friends) as I could, to tip them off about the birthday, and ask for an email, or e-card, or regular card to be sent. Having them innundated with greetings on their birthday took some of the “alone-ness” away from it.</p>
<p>I have also tried to make arrangements to have a cake delivered, via friends, only to find out they’d already had plans to do something.</p>
<p>Birthday gift ideas – we’ve sent things they wanted / needed that they hadn’t realized (prior to arriving at school) they would want or didn’t have yet. Like an espresso machine, a printer, a new tux (for the musician), a jump drive, etc. Since we live far away, we usually buy via internet and have it shipped directly. I always wanted to buy gift certificates to restaurants, but there weren’t many chain-type possibilities near where my kids went to school. They do like Borders certificates, though, since they can be used for books or CDs.</p>
<p>local gift certificate ;they reallly appreciate them.I’ve done ice cream places,restaurants,personal services (like haircuts) movie theatres.
Sometimes the town itself or the chamber of commerce will sponsor a town wide (or shopping area wide) gift certificate.
Alot of colleges offer cake/cookie/brownie and balloon delivery services…sometimes its through Dining Services,sometimes through the student government as a fund raiser.Nothings better than getting dessert to share with your room/dormmates!</p>
<p>When my son turned 17 his freshman year at college, I made sure his RA knew. I was worried no one would celebrate (late Sept birthday). Ordered a big box of cookies from Mrs. Field’s because I couldn’t find anyone who would make a cake (dining services would… sort of… very difficult to do long distance, it turned out… they’d make it, but not deliver it). </p>
<p>But it turned out the young women in the dorm had it under control: they made him a t-shirt, two cakes…</p>
<p>You might check to see if the school dining service has a birthday cake system; some schools make it very easy to order a birthday cake, decorated in the colors of your choice, with candles, to be picked up in the dining hall. Others may have a program where they will bake your child’s favorite cookies if you send them the recipe. These are both nice ideas any time of year and especially near the start of school when people are still getting to know each other and this makes for a good, festive small-group sharing opportunity. </p>
<p>For the birthday gift itself, a check or multi-store gift certificate is always good and leaves a newly on-his-own kid with extra resources for newy discovered wants/needs.</p>
<p>And of course multiple birthday cards sent through the mail add to the festive mood.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=63983&highlight=witch+brownies[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=63983&highlight=witch+brownies</a></p>
<p>The school my D. attends actually has a party package you can buy with cake, plates etc. for a reasonable cost. However, she is not a fan of sweets so didnt want it.</p>
<p>We did what patsmom did. She invited her roommate and some other friends to a restaurant near the college and we treated them. Then on another night we took just her to another restaurant and had dinner and gave her a few gifts. When she came home I made her favorite pecan pie.</p>
<p>When D was away, I surreptitiously contacted her roommate, and sent a party in a box with presents. Snacks, cake, plates, cups, etc. Sent a check to roommate to get drinks. She did the inviting, and it was a great surprise!!! D thought everyone forgot!</p>
<p>Oops! Forgot to say D loves cookie cakes, so it was easy to send. Overnight delivery.</p>
<p>LOL I wondered about that…as I imagined a chocolate cake wilting in the heat!
Did you package the cake any special way?</p>
<p>For those thinking of restaurant gift certificates, but no matching chains in home and school locale, American Express has always offered the ability to give an AX “gift certificate” where recipient can charge the $$ amount of your choice at any location, or unlimited amount at a particular restaurant, eg “dinner for two”. Don’t know if other cards offer the same.</p>
<p>Thats a neat idea!</p>
<p>that is a neat idea…I have an American Express card and will look into that for possible future use.</p>
<p>It is called Be My Guest.
<a href=“http://www10.americanexpress.com/sif/cda/page/0%2C1641%2C16142%2C00.asp[/url]”>http://www10.americanexpress.com/sif/cda/page/0%2C1641%2C16142%2C00.asp</a></p>
<p>When my older son was a freshman in college, he asked me not to send anything that obviously said “birthday” because his floor had this “tradition” of throwing the birthday boy into the shower with his clothes on and then dumping flour on him. Fortunately, he had a spring birthday, and the kids got tired of it by then, so he was safe. My second son has a September birthday, so I may just send a gift certificate or something, in case this dorm has some similar thing going on. It’s a totally different college, so I am hoping they are not so crazy!</p>
<p>S1 turned 18 while on Gap Year. He was at the tail end of a low budget safari through East Africa. His UK mates threw an all-night party on a remote beach in Zanzibar. I’d bet a million bucks he had no thought of ‘mother’ on that birthday. </p>
<p>He only called a few days later when he, you guessed it, missed his flight to dar es Salaam and didn’t have $50 in his pocket to make it home across three continents. Oh yeah, the panic moment is when he thought about good old mom.</p>
<p>D’s classmate celebrated his birthday by inviting friends for Thai food in the city. D’s birthday was during spring break while she was with other students in NYC volunteering at an AIDS community center. We sent her a box full of surprises before her trip. Friends baked her specially decorated cupcakes.</p>