For most 7 year old girls, the answer to “When’s your birthday?” is a straightforward one. It’s the day we were born. But for our amphibious companions, the frogs, things are a tad (pole) more complicated. Their journey from egg to air-breathing, fly-catching machine throws up two potential birthday contenders, leaving us pondering: Is it popping out of the jelly that marks the froggy existence, or the grand metamorphosis, when they trade gills for lungs and tails for toes?

The excitement of hatching day cannot be denied. It’s the moment life truly begins, a wriggling, declaration of existence. Imagine the tiny tadpole, bursting free from its safe maternal egg, propelled by an instinct to grow and experience life. This is a milestone, a joyous occasion worth celebrating with a chorus of enthusiastic croaks.

But hold on, metamorphosis throws a spanner in the birthday bowl. This dramatic transformation, where tadpoles sprout limbs, shed tails, and gulp their first lungful of air, is arguably an even bigger deal. It’s a rebirth, a shedding of the aquatic and an embrace of the terrestrial. Imagine the jubilant leap onto land, the first clumsy hop, the triumphant capture of that first juicy fly. This is a coming-of-age, a graduation from nursery pond to the grand buffet.

So, who gets the birthday cake? Should we bake two, one for each momentous occasion? Perhaps. In reality, the “right” answer could depend on one’s perspective. I argue that hatching marks the start of the frog’s journey, while others may see metamorphosis as the true arrival of the frog we know and love.  This could then be compared to what happens when a young child becomes a teenager then an adult.

Ultimately, maybe the question isn’t “when” but “how”? Why not celebrate both? A double dose of birthday cheer, two chances for bug-filled feasts and celebratory croaks. Imagine the scene: tadpole hatchlings gather in a wriggling mass, adorned with miniature party hats fashioned from algae, while their older, froggy counterparts hop around, dispensing sage advice and explaining how when they were tadpoles life was hard (description for my 7 year old).

The truth is, frogs don’t need calendars or birthday candles to appreciate the wonder of their transformation. Every day is a celebration of their adaptability, their resilience, and their undeniable cuteness. So, the next time you see a frog basking on a lily pad, take a moment to appreciate its journey. Who knows, maybe it’s celebrating twice!

And for us, perhaps we can learn something from the froggy approach. Maybe birthdays aren’t just about the day we arrived, but about celebrating every step of our own remarkable transformations, big and small.  Quinn may not remember the small transformations in her growth, but my wife and I do.  Overcoming a disability she struggled to walk like a little tadpole growing little legs, and then one day that first step. That day was the day of celebration.  So, go ahead, blow out those candles, whether it’s the first or the fiftieth time. Because every day is a chance to be reborn, to hop into the next chapter of your own, the uniquely ‘you’, adventure.

©️ Rocky Mountain Dispatch 2023