The Big 1-0 | Happy 10th Birthday Gift

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Growing up, I could not wait to turn 10 years old and thought it would never get here soon enough. I was so excited to have a two digit number, the big 1-0 for my Happy 10th Birthday! It was a big deal to turn 10. Even the word “ten” sounded so much older!

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My nephew, Carson, was also excited about turning the big 1-0 this year so my sister-in-law, Lesa, and I brainstormed about giving him 10 different experiences for his Happy 10th Birthday gift.

We purchased gift cards or certificates to local arcades for mini-golf, laser tag, bowling, kayaking, zip line, and a gift card to McDonald’s. We placed all of the gift cards and gift certificates in a new wallet and placed a $10 bill inside.

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You cannot have a wallet without identification so for fun I created an ID and used the address as 123 Queen Drive, Any City, OK, United States of America, North America, Northern Hemisphere, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy.

His photo was on the ID and even had a thumb print like you see on real drivers’ licenses. It listed all of the pertinent information including the  ID number – 123456789-10.

We also included a written letter with a print out that included details about the Express Clydesdales Ranch and the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of History with the promise we would take him if he wanted.

We also included information on how to volunteer at the local food bank since volunteering to help others is an excellent experience in community responsibility.

Here’s the list of Carson’s 10 birthday gifts:

1. Mini-Golf
2. Laser Tag
3. Bowling
4. Kayaking
5. Zip Line
6. McDonald’s
7. The Clydesdales Ranch
8. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of History
9. Food Bank
10. New Wallet with $10 & ID Card

Last but not least, one more gift to “grow on” – we gave him a plaque to hang by the back door of his house.  It says:

Return with Honor
The Purpose of Life is to make a difference.

I asked him to read it and touch it every day when he leaves the house so he’s reminded to live life by those words and the importance of making a difference in other people’s lives.

Instead of using wrapping paper, we placed each gift inside envelopes decorated with foam sticky letters, numbers and funny faces and numbered them one through 10.

Carson loved opening and experiencing his 10th birthday gifts!

It seems to take forever to turn 10 years old, then to my surprise the birthdays started coming faster and faster.