Sean’s sixth birthday looked a little different this year.
Because of the coronavirus, Sean wasn’t able to celebrate with his friends or extended family. So, his parents set up a “fox-finding mission” instead — and by mission, they meant a scavenger hunt featuring printed pictures of his favorite animal taped to his neighbors’ windows, with his neighbors cheering him on and wishing him a happy birthday (from a safe, 6-foot distance, of course).
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Sean’s mother, Allyson Murphy, isn’t the only parent who’s had to get creative to help children adjust to the health crisis we’re fighting. Many have turned to virtual birthday parties, sending out evites to friends and family and then hosting the attendees on a group platform, such as Zoom. Some parents have even planned elaborate themes, hiring musicians and sending printable party favors to the friends who attend.
These parties are nothing like the real deal — there are glitches, the internet can be spotty, and it can be difficult to hold a conversation with 10 or more people at once — but right now, they’re enough: “I totally started crying,” said 15-year-old Devyn Smith, whose friends surprised her with a virtual birthday party last week. “It was my first surprise party ever.”
Local officials have also made a point of helping children celebrate. In New Jersey, the South Orange Fire Department has taken to throwing miniature parades throughout the month of April for children who can’t leave their homes. These parades typically feature two police cars and two firetrucks, but Lt. Adrian Acevedo said he and his South Orange crew often spend hours reading emails from parents and mapping out the parade route for the officers and firetrucks. By the end of April, Acevedo said he expects to hit the neighborhoods of at least 70 homes.
“For a 6-year-old whose Spider-Man birthday party is canceled, who hasn’t gone to school in three weeks and is away from that social aspect of child life, and who is told that, ‘No, you’re not having a party at all, and we don’t know what’s going to go on moving forward’ — to a child … that is terrible,” Acevedo told the Wall Street Journal.
Thankfully, many children have still found joy in the midst of this uncertainty.
“It was just cute watching everybody,” said Eric Silverman, a New Jersey father who recently attended a Frozen-themed virtual birthday party with his 4- and 7-year-old daughters. “The kids were so happy to see each other.”
