Photo: Thinkstock

Though it makes me feel elderly to admit it, today my baby brother is having a Milestone Birthday. Since he lives on the other coast we celebrated the way modern families do, by Skyping. My kids asked what he was doing on his birthday, their heads dancing with visions of foil balloons and endless cupcakes. He responded by bursting into (joke) tears. They thought this was wonderful. "Again! Again!" they shrieked, as he pretend-wept harder and harder.

Of course, they are missing the subtext, which is that for some strange reason grown-ups seem to stop liking their birthdays. How to explain to a child? That you start to put pressure on yourself, or the world does, to do certain things and certain times; that you are supposed to have achieved This and That and The Other by This Age, so that if you haven't you greet your birthday with glum recognition. Oh, and the nearing specter of old age and death. But whatever -- cupcakes!

Blogger Abby Try Again has a lovely solution for again malaise: the birthday list. Of her thirtieth birthday she wrote, "It felt special but not, big and little, insignificant and significant. I'm a believer in recognizing the power of each day—not just focusing on milestones...but I couldn't help but be reflective." So she created a list of 30 Things to do Before Turning 31. I love the idea of making every birthday a kind of a milestone birthday (and by doing so, taking pressure off the Big Ones), and I love the list itself. "Make 3 new friends." "Go roller skating." "Do something completely out of my comfort zone." (Hey, those might just all be the same thing!)

Read (And Make) More:
A Mighty Life List
An "I Want" List
A Bliss List