Birthdays are important stuff, no matter how old you are. I think it’s kind of sad when adults stop caring about their birthdays. I know that the most «birthday energy» should go toward children since they enjoy it the most, but we shouldn’t gloss over adult birthdays. You’ve earned it. You’ve had more trips around the sun. You’re older and wiser and should be congratulated for that. Sure, you might not want to rent a bouncy house and hire a birthday clown, but you do want to mark the fact that time has passed, and is that so wrong?

It turns out that as an adult, you have to be careful of the way you celebrate your birthday, lest you alienate your friends. Most of this is common sense, though. Don’t make anyone spend an exorbitant amount of money on your birthday. It’s not their birthday. You shouldn’t expect people to empty out their wallets every year just because you turned another year older. Even if you’re willing to do that for them, it doesn’t always go both ways, nor should it have to.