Mother’s column: Life is a party, oh yes!

And –on the other hand– if you have a carefree childhood, you don't even have to decorate life. Daddy will do that the night before your birthday. You yourself enjoy all the festivities the next day without any worries and you have no idea how busy mommy is.

The best part of your birthday is the children's party. I remember Martha's first party with seven giggling pre-schoolers making an intricate craft. “Next time we'll just do a scavenger hunt”, I said exhausted to my husband Jan at the end of the day. No sooner said than done. At Abel's party, we did a track finder and it was a resounding success.

Neline is married and the mother of five: Martha (8), Abel (6), Jolijn (5), Reinout (3) and Sifra (0).

No matter your carefree childhood, once you grow up, you still have to organise your own birthday party. Decorate it yourself, if you like. This year was extra memorable in that regard. The day before my birthday, Jan had himself tested, because he didn't feel completely well. At the end of the day, he laid on the couch, felled by a high fever. And he had planned on buying me a present just in the nick of time. He asked whether I thought it was bad that he let it sit for a while. Obviously not, he should lie down on the couch.

The result of the test was no longer a surprise: positive. There we were on my birthday, in quarantine. The Dutch health service advised the rest of the family be tested as soon as possible. We still had a thing to do: to the test street. Fortunately, our children think testing is a party, so it was easy.

After a few minutes we were able to leave the cheerfully decorated children's test room. Reinout in front, in one hand the red balloon he'd been given, in the other hand his diploma of bravery. He looked concentrated at the signs on the floor. "Another blue arrow!", he called again and again, and then he ran enthusiastically on, looking for the next one, until we found the exit of the village hall.

So it was still a nice birthday. And we did a scavenger hunt.