This one's for Otto or Worst Birthdays Ever

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Come on everybody, our fellow doper Otto has got the birthday blues so I want to cheer him up by getting all of you to spill the beans and pour your tragic birthday disasters into this thread.

I’ll start you off with an tame one:

The highlight of my 18th birthday, which was just a few months ago, was a Mechanics exam. I drove 20 miles or so to college to do an exam. No-one spoke to me, or wished me happy birthday and at my college the kids put up posters for friend’s birthday. I had no posters. Then I came home and had dinner with my parents. (A takeaway that I had to pick up and wait 30 minutes for BTW). I had no friends call me to wish me a happy brithday or anything and only a couple weeks later did I have to drive 100 miles to see them so they could give me excuses about why they didn’t call.

All that on my 18th. I really want to cry now. :frowning:

So who’s next? Come on, it’s for Otto

2

My family does birthdays as large as the birthday person wants them. Most of us have gotten to the point that a few friends to a decent resturant is a party, so that is what it is.

My 19th birthday. July 3. I had just finished being treated for acute depression and anxiety. My sisters and father were away at camp, so my mom and I had planned to do special stuff. We worked at the same place (I was an intern) and work was closing down for the two weeks following the 4th of July. But it wasn’t going to be too bad, even though my sisters were gone and my friends were out of town. Mom and I would do fun things, just us, right?

Wrong. Her work had an emergency somewhere and she had to fly out and leave me, all alone. My birthday was aimless wandering around the house until I got the bright idea that I could leave too.

I went to the beach for a week. Was good. After I stopped moping, of course.

3

One time in college, all of my friends forgot my birthday* and I broke a toe sparring that day. That was probably the most memorably bad.

  • Admittedly, this is a common occurrence since I don’t really go out of my way to remind people of my agingness.
4

Mine’s kinda lame, but every freaking year my mom winds up coming into town for my birthday because it’s at the same time as a sale she likes to go to. Every year she insists on staying in my and my fiance’s condo for at least a week. Every year I wind up cooking for her on my birthday, with her leaning over my shoulder, “supervising” and breathing gin breath on me (she usually has one or two martinis before dinner and her breath gets stinky - she’s not a regular drunk, though).

Anyways, last year my mom came into town for my birthday and I mailed her a set of keys so she could get in because I was working at an office at the time. She wouldn’t stop calling me because she was bored, then I was told I’d have to work late and wound up working until 7:30 p.m., which wasn’t too bad, or wouldn’t have been anyway, if I hadn’t already been working since 6:00 a.m. that morning. So I worked until 7:30, went home, and gin-breath said “Oh, I’m going to cook you a nice birthday dinner!” I was pleased thinking I’d be able to sit and relax. But, no, she dragged me into the kitchen to “keep me company,” and I wound up cooking the entire meal myself with my mom hanging over my shoulder breathing her gin-breath on me. She wanted a really elaborate meal, so by the time we were done it was already almost 10:30 p.m. When my fiance complimented me on the wonderful food, she took all the thanks as though they were due her, not me who actually cooked the meal, and started ordering me around like a servant because, after all, she had cooked this wonderful meal for me, and she was tired of being on her feet all day. Around 12 a.m. I got tired of it and just got up and went to bed.

My mom does this pretty much every year, and won’t stop coming because of that stupid sale she likes so well (she lives in rural Indiana, so it’s not exactly really cosmopolitan). And she always wants to stay with us, and shows up even if we politely hint that it might not be the best idea. Anyway, my fiance and I have decided that, from now on, we will leave town on my birthday, or will at least say we are.

5

My bithdays always suck, seems like. Except my 21st, because I was too drunk to care if it sucked or not.
On my 17th, I overheard a conversation between my parents about an affair my dad had had with my friend’s mom. Happy frickin’ birthday to me!
On my 26th (last year), I was really sick and after coming home from work I crashed on the couch. We were going to go out for dinner but I felt too crappy so my husband brought home a pizza and a movie. Eh, actually that was kinda nice, except for the feeling crappy part. :slight_smile:

6

Three days before my 29th birthday I gave birth to a baby girl born with a sever birth defect that, according to the Dr., was “incompatible with life”. She was airlifted to the nearest hospital that could handle her very rare disorder. We made the decision to remove life support on my 29th birthday.

She died the next day.

7

My dad and step-monster are not the biggest birthday celebraters. In fact, my father would cancel everybody’s birthday if he could because he just seems to think birthdays are stupid. (Unfortunately, I have picked up his terrible habit of “forgetting” people’s birthdays or not making a big deal out of them if that’s what the person likes, because they were always minimized in my family. I will be working on this.)

Anyway, I think it was my Sweet 16th birthday. The factory where they worked had a 2-week shutdown each year, which tended to fall on my birthday. Most years they went on vacation. Sometimes I got to go; most times I didn’t for whatever reason. When I turned 16 they were away on vacation and I think I was by myself or something. I really don’t remember it being anything special at all.

Three weeks later, he’s sitting at his desk in the dining room (which he converted to his office) and he calls me in there. As I’m walking toward him, he tosses something at me. I catch it, and it’s a package of 4 pencils, painted with rainbow colors (I’d gotten over my rainbow obsession somewhere around 13), with my name on them. “Here” he said, “I almost forgot to give you these.”

No happy birthday, no phone call on the actual day, no comments of hitting a major milestone in a teenager’s life, no jokes about driving and getting my license. He just threw some pencils at me and on we went with life.

Another year, I actually go to go on vacation with them for my birthday. We stopped at a K-Mart at some point (we always drove and always camped since my dad is a cheapskate) because the tent or something was leaking. I saw a cute little yellow windbreaker on sale for $10. My step monster said I could get it. On the way out to the car, I was informed that I had just picked out my present. Again, there was no happy birthday or anything else. Jacket purchased; obligation met.

When I first moved in with them, I turned 12 shortly afterward – a few months later. My step-mom promised they’d take me out to dinner for my birthday – to the restaurant of my choice – sometime. It never happened. I brought it up about six years later – “hey, whatever happened to that birthday dinner?” I was told, “We’ve taken you out to eat dozens of times. Doesn’t that count?” Did I pick the restaurants? No. Is dinner out really an appropriate “gift” for a 12-year-old? I don’t think so. Did any other dinner out count? Since nobody ever told me Happy Birthday, no, none of those other dinners count.

When I became a grownup I made a HUGE deal out of my birthdays. For weeks before hand, I’d go around announcing the date so my friends wouldn’t forget. I threw myself birthday parties. I ordered cakes for myself. I got my celebrating done to make up for my childhood. (I NEVER had a birthday party as a kid. I think twice I might have had one or two friends over for cake, but never really a party.)

Now that I’m approaching middle age much faster than I’d like… I tend to downplay the whole thing and treat my birthdays like my dad did. I no longer get hurt feelings when my dad forgets to call. Don’t care if Mom’s care package is a couple days late. I might or might not get anything from my sister. And if anyone from work finds out, I wonder how they knew…

I think I’ve gotten over myself and have become my father. That ought to make this year’s birthday a REAL treat! :dubious:

8

Well actually this is more how I ruined my boyfriend’s b-day.

I was an only child who was used to having a big fuss made of her and he came from a family of four where b-days were very low key at best.
You got to pick your favorite meal for dinner and you got presents but no big party or hoopla.
Although I didn’t really know any of his friends that well, I wanted to make it a special day and thought it would be a brillant idea to invite all of his friends to meet us at our favorite Chinese restaurant as a surprise and make it a blow out.
I carefully contacted the participants two weeks in advance and everyone agreed to be there.
Problem was, he was looking forward to a quiet romantic dinner and was not thrilled at all to see the crowd gathered around the table.
Of course, it didn’t help a lick that out of a group of 6, at least 3 people were no longer speaking to each other.
David has just dumped Jill who was wearing black in mourning for their relationship-replete with hat and veil.
Lucretia wasn’t speaking to David for dumping Jill but she was also pissed at Jill for being a patsy.
Mark was mad at 'Cre for taking sides in the first place.
Bogey thought Dave was a giant turd but was willing to talk to all the women but none of the men.
At the time, the BF and I were totally out of the loop and although we could sense the strain, we had no earthly idea why everyone was being so dark and mean and gloomy.
As soon as dinner had been consumed, the party scattered in a million different directions (so much for my plans for us all to cavort until the wee hours) and he and I got into a fight about surprise parties in general and b-days in particular on the way home.

9

My ex-husband chose my 26th birthday to announce that he wanted a divorce. At a surprise party that he had organized, no less. Surprise! :mad:

10

Well, velvetjones definitely wins this, hands down. I’m so so so sorry to hear that. I’m turning 30 this summer with my first child due just 2 weeks after my birthday, so your story hit a little close to home.

So here’s my not nearly as traumatizing worst birthday story.

My 16th b-day was a total suck. It was mid-July 1990 , and I had to work the morning/early afternoon shift at my minimum wage job at a local pet store, which wasn’t horrible but it was insufferably hot that day and the air wasn’t working well at the store. None of my good friends were in town that weekend so I hadn’t been able to make any REAL plans for something fun, and I also didn’t get any phone calls or visits from people just saying Happy Sweet 16 or something else memorable to that effect.

The worst part of the night was going out to dinner. Since the day was such a bummer and I had no friends in town to speak of, my parents wanted to take me somewhere to dinner nice. So we go to my favorite restaurant that serves crablegs, steak, ribs, etc. All I wanted was a heaping plate of hot crab legs. Well, they were out of them, the truck never came. The ribs weren’t available either, they ran out. So I ordered something I didn’t really want, and then we lost power from the heat wave. Thirty minutes of total chaos while they tried to keep people from leaving or doing something worse. Dinner was on the house, but it didn’t make up for anything. We got home and we had lost power as well. For several hours, it seemed. The ice cream cake my mom had bought had melted in the freezer.

I just went to bed and cried.

11

When I was six or seven my mom and sisters set up a really nice birthday party for me with all sorts of games planned and everything. Nobody showed up. I was devastated.

12

My dog died of cancer on my seventh birthday. :frowning:

13

On my next birthday, I’ll be out of town working a crummy low-paying job installing new locks in hotel doors, because I cannot find a job in my field of software. Anxiety about my future is making me wake up early every morning with a panic attack, and I doubt this will be cured by the time my birthday rolls around.

14

WOW after velvetjones’s I don’t think there are many others that could possibly compare. I’m so sorry you had to experience that much heartbreak.

For myself, my sweet 16 was at a mental institution, and I did not yet have visitation rights.

15

I got stung by a box jellyfish the day after my 10th birthday. I was held down and stripped in the beach club while two doctors (who worked with Pops) poured vinegar over every possible square inch of skin, including the wedding tackle.

I was looking at a stunningly hot girl (probably about 13- to my ten year old self, she was stunning) who was staring open-mouthed, thinking “you weren’t supposed to see me naked until our honeymoon”. Then I passed out.

45-minute drive to the hospital in the back of a Toyota 4Runner (the original, the one that was basically a pickup with a bench seat and a roof over the bed), two antivenin shots, and a shot of adrenaline between the ribs later, and I was able to go home, with my right arm looking like a snake that had swallowed a grapefruit :frowning:

16

My junior year of college, my parents came up a bit early to celebrate my birthday. Also, to tell me that my Dad had been diagnosed with cancer and had no more than six months to live.

Want to guess how I can always remember it’s Christmas time?

17

On my eighth birthday, my grandfather died.

On my 30th birthday, my favorite aunt died.

On my 36th birthday, my best friend died.

18

My son commited suicide on my birthday. However, because he wasn’t found until 2 days later, that is the official date. I know he did it on my birthday because he sent me a letter I received after coming home from taking care of everything.

19

Wow, mine’s not nearly as heavy as some of these. But it sucked nonetheless. I spent my 21st birthday on a 3 week temporary duty assignment at Fort Knox. Didn’t know anyone there. Assigned some rat trap room in an old WW2 barracks, without Air Conditioning. The counties surrounding Ft. Knox are dry, by the way.

20

I am sorry velvetjones and picunurse.

My 5th birthday was my first day of kindergarten.
My 7th birthday was spent in a hospital, I had my tonsils removed.
My 11th birthday was the first day of 6th grade, in a whole new school, I didn’t know any one.
My 16th birthday was spent at my dads friends house. My dad, my mom and my siblings were going to “stop by for a few minutes” to get something back that my dad had loaned him. We were there from early afternoon til early ( 3 am-ish ) the next morning.
My 17th birthday was spent in a hospital - I had a kidney infection.
My 18th birthday was spent in a hospital - I had an emergency c-section two days before.
My 26th birthday ( last year ) was spent working out of town. I requested the week off ( my sister got married four days before my birthday, but was denied my vacation time ) I got the time off for the wedding, but had to go back to work on the following Monday.

This year is my golden birthday - I refuse to spend anytime in the hospital this year.