13th Birthday

Lucky number 13!

• This, of course, is the first official year of the teens which is roughly the start of a roller coaster ride for both the teen and their parents
• A symbolic gift could be taking your newly minted teen to a roller coaster, bumper cars, or go river rafting as a way of saying “this is going to be a wild/bumpy/wet? ride so let’s get off on the right foot”
• Somewhere around 13 is the tipping point where young people transition from children to young adults. Embrace the change or at least show them you recognize that it’s happening.
  • You could buy them make up
  • Get them a (new) piercing
  • Teach them how to shake hands (create one of your own)
  • Allow them to open a social networking account (if they don’t already)
• 13 is quite often associated with bad luck. You could play on that by getting them a ladder (Jacobs ladder), a black cat (real or stuffed), an umbrella, anything in 3’s (triple scoop ice cream, 3-piece suit, three “blind” mice, have a 3-legged race, Beetlejuice, Rock, Paper, Scissors), a mirror (with advice not to break it)
• You could also do the opposite of bad luck. A rabbit’s foot or the whole rabbit maybe (real or stuffed), a commemorative penny (signifying good luck) from the government Mint, anything with a 7 (lucky 7’s) or 8 (in Chinese culture) on it, horseshoe (anything horse related works)
• 13 is the atomic number for aluminum. Consider giving something wrapped in aluminum foil. Some kitchen utensils and coins use aluminum so these could work as gifts also.

• Check out our general birthday theme for more ideas around gifts, wrapping and presentation.