Why Do People Celebrate Their Kid’s Birthday At An Orphanage?
To make themselves feel good?
I recently watched a vlog of a Youtuber who reached 500,000 subscribers. He decided to celebrate this milestone at an orphanage located in the village where he was travelling . He did a tour of the facility, talked to the management and made some small talk with the kids.
All the kids were scrubbed clean, hair neatly combed and dressed in their best clothes. A big lunch was cooked for which he paid. The children performed several dances they had learnt for him.
He then cut a big cake with ‘Congratulations’ written on it. He thanked everyone for supporting his YouTube journey and as always encouraged people to subscribe to his channel.
What struck me was the blank expression on the the kid’s faces. All the while he was celebrating himself. It meant nothing to them. They were sitting around with manufactured smiles.
It reminded me of the times people performed philanthropy to make a big show of themselves, to stroke their own ego. Some celebrated their kid’s birthday with the homeless or with orphans.
Let’s just rub it in their little faces what it feels not to have parents. Let’s just show them what they are missing out on.
All done so that 2 hours later they can humble brag on Social media about the noble act their child performed. My angel dined with the less privileged and broke cake with them like Jesus. She selflessly brought joy to these poor children.
Let’s take pictures of our little Mother Teresa to share on Facebook, #feeling blessed. We are bringing attention to an important cause, so please share with all, # feelinghumbled. Translation=Make this post viral!
How does it feel from the orphan kid’s perspective?
Well for starters they began life abandoned by their own family because of poverty or just plain cruelty. There’s a gaping hole the size of Alaska in their hearts.
Now they get to have front row seats to see the birthday girl/boy enveloped by their family’s love. They have everything they dream of. They get to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ while her parents dot on her.
Wait, a birthday, what’s that? Many don’t have an account of their actual birth day or even the year they were born.
The kids are told they should thank the nice family for sharing cake and other gifts with them. They are made to feel obligated and indebted by the generosity of people.
Basically the poor and orphaned are made to feel more poor and lonely. Instead why not celebrate the orphan’s birthday and make them the center of attention and not our child?
When we help the less privileged, it is a responsibility to not make them feel indebted, like we did them a big favor just by looking their way.
How about making them feel good, instead of making us feel good at their expense?
