3D REFLECTIONS OF LIFE

  Organising a 21st birthday party for your daughter is a GALACTIC affair. If men are from Mars and women are from Venus, then " Going on 21" daughters are from Jupiter. They will erupt like multiple volcanoes and fry you alive when you want to Mommy-mess with their party.   Don't lose heart, though. If your daughter still doesn't know what her 21st party must be like, it's okay. Breathe in the word, "calm" and exhale "peace" to centre yourself. Then, become the tight-loose negotiator all Moms are born to be. Here is your three-phase survival kit:   What Moms should accept:   Your ideas were only hip during the Noah's Ark cruise. Keep your signature brand for your own parties. You are only the boss lady of your cash and your credit card.   Black and White Decisions:   Be Gerrie Nel, with specs dramatics and clinch these:   Should the party be at a hired venue? Is the party a themed day or night event? What is the Mom/da...

Christo (left) with his 21st key. Big brother Brett is in the middle, flanked by Dad, Basil on his right. Nowadays so many people believe family traditions are old-fashioned and out of keeping with the modern world. The 21st celebrations that used to be a huge event, complete with a 21st key to celebrate the "Coming Of Age", is also under threat, it seems. When I was looking for a 21st key for our son, Christo, I was fascinated with a few responses. There were folk who said they didn't hand over the symbolic key while others settled for another symbol like a chain to substitute the key. Even Basil, my husband, said that " 21st keys" are outdated. I almost fainted! There was no way we were not going to have The Wooden Key. The key made from wood is, as far as I was concerned, the true symbol of celebrating your coming of age. I wasn't going to fall into the trap of the modern thinking and started hunting for someone who could sculpt a 21st key with a...

Who greets first? At first glance this question may seem like a no-brainer... if there is an absence of strong opinions on the issue.  Greeting Ritual Contenders: Sasha and Brett enjoying time out at Muizenberg Putt-Putt course We have a Greeting Ritual crisis at home. There are two views and the supporter of each one is fanatic. On the one hand, we have Brett who believes that his sister, Sasha, should greet him first when he arrives home. Conversely, Sasha asserts that Brett should be the one to greet first because he should acknowledge her presence. The other family members just greet; there are no strings attached. But not so for the eldest and the youngest siblings in our household; they refuse to surrender unless under duress.   We need an umpire or a judge to rule Invariably I become the umpire, the mediator or negotiator to keep the peace when the mudslinging between the two parties borders on mayhem.   The other day when things threatened to exp...