We were in the backyard, blowing bubbles, chasing bubbles, popping bubbles — just a bit of outside time between our return from Mass and the Boy’s nap time.

Suddenly, Mama appeared.

“I’ve got surprises for you two!” she said, in Polish of course. “Today is Dzień Dziecka.”

It sounds so much more natural to me in Polish: Children’s Day. Nah. Dzień Dziecka. In the States, we only have Father’s Day and Mother’s Day; Poland adds Children’s Day, Grandparents’ Day, Siblings’ Day, Uncles’ Day, Aunts’ Day, Cousins’ Day, Second Cousins’ Day, Cousins’ Twice Removed Day. Well, perhaps not to that degree, but they don’t stop at just two family days.

One could argue that every day is Children’s Day, especially in big families. Still, it’s nice to have an excuse to give kids a little something to make them smile, like new books or a new train for a growing Thomas collection.