Is turning 30 important?

[Neoflex]

Is it important to celebrate your 30th birthday?
I am turning 30 this year but I cannot celebrate on the day because it coincides with something else much more important.
So I was thinking of ignoring my birthday completely.
DH thinks I should plan a big party 6 months later for 30.5 years old. He says it is important to celebrate these big milestones and I will regret it later if I don't.
I don't know if I can be bothered or if I really care. AIBU if I ignore it and just go into my 30s quietly?

[DrWhooves]

Do whatever you want, I went away on a caravan holiday with just DH and DD for my 30th and celebrated in a low key way. There's no rule that says you must have a party.

[LittleLionMansMummy]

I hated turning 30. Dh and I went away and did something nice, but quiet - weekend away and a posh meal out, alone. There are plenty who will say it's just a number, but it did feel like a bit of a landmark, and not a particularly nice one. That said, we had a lovely time and my 30s have been my best years so I shouldn't have worried! Do what feels right for you. It's your birthday! Have a good one, whatever you decide.

[hidinginthenightgarden]

It is entirely up to you. I have share a birthday with DD so will probably be overlooked on most birthdays. I will be taking back the big ones!

[amusedbush]

It's a couple of years away but DH and I will turn 30 two weeks apart so we're going to go on holiday and not bother about a "proper" celebration. Neither of us like parties or being the centre of attention; we even avoided a big wedding hoo-ha by eloping and not having any sort of celebration when we got back!

[Neoflex]

Well now I feel less guilty since I have just this moment found out my brother got married in secret today!! He didn't even tell my parents. And there I was worried about turning 30 without any fuss...

[coffeeslave]

I had a big party for my 30th and my 40th; it was important to me as I've not been married, and graduating wasn't a big deal to my family, so I felt like I'd never had a big "me" celebration. If that makes sense?

But it's completely personal, if you're not a big celebrations type of person then no, it's not important if you don't feel it is!

[crumpet]

30 didn't feel at all like a milestone birthday to me. However I clearly remember moving into the "25-34" or "35-44" type age brackets to tick on forms. Really had to hesitate each time!

[MaidOfStars]

I had a big party for my 30th and my 40th; it was important to me as I've not been married, and graduating wasn't a big deal to my family, so I felt like I'd never had a big "me" celebration. If that makes sense?
Similar here. I wasn't married at 30 and wanted a lovely big party with both families and my friends together.

At 40, having been married 6 years, my husband and I buggered off on holiday.

[demirose87]

I don't have anything planned for mine. I'm due my fourth baby in three weeks so I won't be up for a party or to be away from the kids really. Probably just a normal day for me.

[backOffSunshine]

I've never cared about birthdays. My next big one will be my 60th.

I did have a big 30th wedding anniversary as I felt I'd achieved something as opposed to simply not dying. I didn't attend any of my graduations. I was in labour for my last!

Horses for courses really OP. I love hosting large parties but more so for a 'Summer BBQ' or another non-reason than something like a birthday.

[EllieMentry]

It's all about what you would like to do, not what others think you should do.

Big birthdays are something that we mark in our family but DH and I both hate parties so always leave the city/country for a few days, depending on finances.

Didn't invite anyone to our wedding (didn't tell anyone) and didn't turn up for my graduation, either. So I suppose I'm a bit curmudgeonly about these enforced celebrations.

As backOffSunshine says, it's horses for courses. There's no right or wrong.

[Neoflex]

That's settled then. I am just keeping quiet and will do something tiny for myself that I wouldn't usually - like some nice bubble bath or something. Or order a massive takeaway. Just need to think of a low maintenance gift to myself and celebrate discreetly, think I would much prefer that. Need to maybe aim a bit higher than a curry and a bath bomb, so any suggestions welcome.

[backOffSunshine]

Curry*, bathbomb non-gritty bubbles, Four Pillars gin and Fever Tree tonic.

I genuinely can't think of something nicer.

*lamb dansak, peshwari naan, poppadoms, that oniony salsa, stupidly hot yellow daal, chicken tikka, mutton rogan josh (stolen from DH)

[demirose87]

backoffsunshine YABU not to add some chicken chaat puri onto that order😙

[Biker47]

I'm 30 this year, birthdays mean nothing to me, it's just another day to me and has been for years.

[VinsArmy]

It's your birthday you do whatever you want to celebrate it and whatever makes you happy.
I know celebrate my birthday 6 months later as I have a just after Christmas birthday and people don't tend to have the money or energy to do birthday's that time of year but this is only because I want to. If I didn't want a celebration I would probably just book myself a massage and have cake with the dc's.

[MadamePomfrey]

Do what makes you happy! Out of 10 close friends who turned have turned 30 the past few years we have all done it very differently and everyone who did what they wanted from large part to small get together loved it! Those that focused on pleasing others not so much! So what you want birthdays are personal and should be celebrated similarly!

[AngeloMysterioso]

I had a get together for my birthday. 29 was a monumentally shit year so I wanted to celebrate that being over!

[misshannah]

I turned 30 in august, having always had forgotten birthdays i'd have liked a party or something. However i moved away from all my friends last year so as it turns out my birthday was forgotten by all including my brother. My partner tried to make it special and took me away for the weekend and it was lovely but i can't help thinking how much i'd have liked a party. Feels selfish, but having never had one (a party) and it being a milestone it would have been nice.

[Gottagetmoving]

I stopped caring about celebrating birthdays after 21. You don't need a birthday to have fun so I mostly ignore mine.

[ElBandito]

I celebrate birthdays. I like a card and a few presents. But I don't really celebrate birthdays with a zero on the end more than any other. Getting to 30 isn't really any more or less of an achievement than getting to 29 or 31.

[Lonoxo]

I think it should be marked in some way. If you want a party, go for it. I went on holiday to Iceland. Normally, I wouldn't be able to justify the cost but milestone birthdays mean you can push the boat out a bit. It doesn't have to be a holiday, just something you have always wanted to do. Life is short and there's so much bad news and suffering, you have to celebrate the good things in life.

[clarabellski]

If you have curry you might not need the bathbomb

[Duckswaddle]

I would have liked a bit of fuss on my 30th this year but it was midweek, I was heavily pregnant, working etc. So it was just another day. Me and husband had a child free night out on the weekend which was nice but it did feel mostly ignored by everyone else!!