Reading about birthday traditions around the world I came across one that really gets me: Planting a tree at the birth of the child.

What an idea…Help the ozone! Add to the tree canopy! The child will have a tree of his or her own to care about, perhaps inculcating a love of nature along the way. All of these things came to mind, and I thought “what a great idea!”

Photo courtesy of Helene & Kev
https://www.flickr.com/photos/93081182@N02/

Then, I read about the superstition that the fate of the tree foretells the fate of the child. So, if say a little Swiss girl’s pear tree fails to thrive, it’s a bad omen for the girl. For boys in Switzerland their fate relies on an apple tree. Germany, apparently, is another country where this is a common tradition.

I have enough trouble with house plants!

With this tradition I’d be having to tend to a fledgling tree while raising an infant and trying to keep him or her alive too! The first year with a newborn was difficult enough. Adding a tree to the list of to-do’s is just too much.