Last month my daughter turned 9. My husband sadly pointed out that 9 is half way to 18. Half way to that day when she will go out into the real world and we won’t be under the same roof all the time. You really aren’t aware of the passing of time until you become a parent. Every year our little ones are so excited for their birthday and getting a little bit older. While I absolutely love discovering each age with my kiddos, my heart breaks a little each birthday. 
A few years ago we decided we would move away from giving toys for birthdays if at all possible. Instead, we would give experiences. We would give gifts that created memories. Some years we keep it simple and small. This year we painted at “It’s Scrapicated” together. Last year we took a cooking class at UIS and got tickets to “Wild Kratts Live” One year we took a trip to Great Wolf Lodge. Sometimes it’s as simple as Mini Golf and Ice Cream. Whatever the event is, the focus is creating lasting memories with these kiddos. We only get a little bit of time before they are off to start their own life so I really want to focus on filling these moments with time and attention instead of material things. We would love to have our readers share ideas with us as well. Here is a running list of experience based gifts. 
- Tickets to a Sporting Event
- A cooking class
- An Art Class
- Tickets to a musical
- A stay in a hotel
- A road trip
- A trip to a zoo or a museum
- Season tickets to a water park
- An interactive journal to share
- Music Lessons
- Tickets to a movie
- Mini Golf and Go Karts
- Tickets to a concert
- Take them bowling
Whatever you do, take a picture and enjoy the moment. It goes by so fast. 9 is half way to 18.
