Ten Non-Traditional Milestone Events You Deserve To Celebrate (Because #Adulting)

Which milestone events come to mind when you hear the word “celebration?” Birthday parties, weddings, anniversaries, graduations? These events are all wonderful, but why should the fun stop there? Most “traditional” celebrations happen early in life, so we’re left only celebrating birthdays and anniversaries until we can’t celebrate anymore. It’s no wonder people think adulting is the worst. 

But who says there are only a few appropriate occasions in life to celebrate? Why can’t you throw a divorce party or a back-to-school party or celebrate over cocktails for buying your first sex toy? 

Well, we say you can. So, grab that bottle of champagne; it’s time to celebrate life on your terms. 

Ten Celebration-Worthy #Adulting Milestones 

Success comes in so many forms, and there’s no shortage of opportunities for women to celebrate their success these days.  And yet, society expects us to fit the mold and stick to celebrating “proper” things like weddings and baby showers. Even married folks and mothers alike deserve other phenomenal milestones to celebrate beyond their roles as partners and parents. 

It’s time to revolutionize how we celebrate success. Here are 10 non-traditional celebrations every woman deserves to celebrate.

1. Taking Care of Our Mental Health 

Starting mental health therapy or other types of mental health support is, unfortunately, still somewhat taboo. We’re ready to make this ancient history. Let’s replace the stigma around seeking mental health care with positive, motivating, and celebratory vibes. Let’s fight the mental health stigma and have fun doing it! Be empowered to celebrate getting the care you deserve whether it’s tele-therapy, support groups, medication, one-on-one counseling, and other forms of care.  

Mental health care is self care. Even if you are not in a rough patch, mental health care is essential because it is part of our self maintenance. The same way we calendar our annual physical check-up and dental appointments at least twice a year, our mental health too needs attention! 

By recognizing this milestone in your life, you encourage others that taking care of our mental health is a positive. In fact, there should be confetti cannons popping when you take that first step. 

2. Launching Your Own Business (Or Any Type of Hustle)

Starting your own business takes tons of discipline, skill-building, time, energy, blood, sweat, and tears. If you’re working a full-time job AND tending to family, friends, fur babies, and other responsibilities, there’s not much time to start a business. Even if it’s just a side hustle, getting into the entrepreneurial game isn’t easy.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, many women were left without jobs. According to one study, however, women were twice as likely to start a new business than men since the start of the pandemic. It’s time we celebrate and honor those femprenuers for all that hard work.

3. Going Back to School

Society tells us you’re only allowed to celebrate once you earn a degree. We disagree. Why shouldn’t we celebrate pursuing higher education– and setting ourselves up for success?

And what about those who may have dropped out of college or high school due to life circumstances or the pursuit of other passions? If they choose to return in any capacity, even taking weekend college classes while hustling in the workplace all week long, they CERTAINLY deserve a back-to-school bash!

It takes so much courage, discipline, and effort to even make it through the application and interview processes. Here at Party Positivity, we think women deserve a back-to-school party when they embark on their education journey and a graduation party when they finish with their degree in hand. Two parties are better than one! (And that’s exactly how Party Positivity was born. More about that here.)

4. Getting a Divorce or Leaving a Toxic Relationship 

Yes, weddings are lovely. Bridal showers are fantastic. And who doesn’t love celebrating an anniversary? Realistically, though, these are not the only causes for relational celebrations.

Sometimes, the best thing for a woman to do is to leave their partner. Especially if the relationship is toxic.

Gathering the courage to leave a toxic relationship (whether it’s with a partner, friendship, or work environment) is a difficult and sometimes dangerous thing to do. It’s a choice that is tough and rough. We have all been there. However, once you’re on the other side, you are free from toxicity and free to pursue your own life. Heck, re-invent or reinvigorate it! If that’s not celebration-worthy, we don’t know what is! We deserve equal amounts of celebration, cheer, and champagne when we get into AND exit relationships of all kinds.

5. Fostering or Adopting a Child (Furry or Human!) 

Baby showers are a wonderful way to celebrate “bearing” new life into the world regardless of how children become part of what we each define as family. Many women can’t or don’t wish to become pregnant and/or choose to adopt a child or teenager in need of a loving home and family instead, which is an incredible reason to celebrate! Fostering a child is another incredibly impactful (and celebratory) thing a family can do as it combats homelessness, abuse, and poverty.

Adoption and foster celebrations don’t have to exclude our furry fam, either! Who wouldn’t want to throw a party when a four-legged family member finds its forever home? Even beyond adoption and fostering, there are many other ways we build family and raise children that are deserving of recognition and celebration.

6. Finding a Birth Control Method That Works for You

Depening on national and regional legislature around the world, women have access to a varying blend of contraceptive options (like condoms, shots, pills, IUDs, and even tying your tubes), which can make finding the right one a daunting process. Every woman’s body is different, and it takes time to figure out which method works best for your body. Some may find their forever birth control method early on. And others may trial and error many options over time based on their changing needs. 

That’s why we believe you deserve to celebrate when you find a method that works for you! You certainly deserve to party after that difficult process! What better way, than a birth control bash, to announce your new health choice and create a safe space for women to have a “contraceptives chat” over cocktails? Or celebrate in solidarity with other women globally on September 26 which marks “World Contraception Day“.

7. Traveling Solo

Traveling solo as a woman can be a thrilling and rewarding experience, but women are looked at differently than solo male travelers. Many travel destinations may target women travelers for theft, fraud, and other exploitative crimes, so we have to be extra careful, planning more meticulously and preparing more thoroughly.

With all the extra work that goes into planning and executing a solo trip, don’t you deserve a banging going away party? And why stop there? How about a welcome-home party as the last stop on your itinerary?! Solo travel is a transformative experience that opens up our eyes to new cultures, languages, food, scenery, and social justice issues. It takes us out of our comfort zone and brings new challenges to grow from. And that is a milestone SO worth toasting to!

8. Obtaining Citizenship

Becoming a citizen is a life-changing event. It unlocks new opportunities and impacts your family for generations to come. 

It’s a very long, tedious, and expensive process with obstacles at every turn. Once you’ve become a fully naturalized citizen, you deserve to celebrate! And even if you are still in the process, props to you. Small steps like obtaining an ID or driver’s license or a work permit in a different country are BIG victories in themselves that deserve celebrating. We SEE YOU. We GET YOU. And if you choose to help other members of your family towards the citizenship path, each one calls for a celebratory occasion too! 

Becoming a citizen is more than just about residency and legality. It is about finding a new “home”. It is about building a sense of belonging to a new community and culture. It can be a fun opportunity to integrate your own celebratory traditions that speak to you along with newly adopted traditions from your community you can now call home.

9. Buying Your First Sex Toy

If you’ve ever been shopping for a sex toy, you know how intense the process can be. The options are near limitless. From vibrators to dildos and everything in between, sex toys come in a dazzling but overwhelming array of shapes, sizes, colors, and functionalities.

Once you decide, doesn’t that gift deserve a celebration to go along with it? We suggest gathering up your closest friends to celebrate your newest purchase! You can even use this social gathering as an educational discussion around sexuality and sexual health. Party positive events intersects fun and feminism! And buying a sex toy can spur other women to feel safe to talk about their bodies and these sensitive topics.

10. Beginning a Spiritual Journey

Embarking on a spiritual journey requires openness to new experiences, insights, and wisdom. It can be a lot of work, too. Spiritual quests could mean: reconnecting with the soul side of ourselves, practicing mindfulness in our daily routines, being more compassionate with others, or just being more in tuned with nature. A newly sparked search for meaning and inner contentment can take time and effort. But it all starts with a first step in deciding to do so! And what more for a reason to celebrate with your circle of friends and family to root you on this new adventure!

Additionally, many belief systems are rooted in pure patriarchy leaving little to no space for women to take on leadership roles or make key decisions within their place of worship. For instance, canon laws around the globe still prohibit women priesthood. How outdated is that?! Contrary to the dogma that only men can become priests because the divine is a man, we defer to Ariana Grande’s anthem that “God is a Woman”. Thank you. 

Perhaps this is why many contemporary women faith leaders are rejecting these historical norms and advocacting for gender equity in their spaces of worship. Other women are turning to alternate faiths or finding spiritual fulfillment in their own way. No matter which path you choose, beginning a spiritual journey of any kind is cause for celebration. After all, non-conforming women deserve non-conforming celebrations!

Calling All Contemporary Women: Let’s Get the Party Started!

What are you waiting for?! By now, we hope you can see that adulting doesn’t have to be as drab as society suggests. You’re certainly not running low on opportunities to celebrate success your way. So, grab that bottle of champagne, stick it to the patriarchy, and get to planning all your celebration-worthy milestone events! 

At Party Positivity, we’re revolutionizing womanhood’s milestones. We’re here to help you shake up traditional event planning. Whatever you’re planning to celebrate, you deserve to be celebrated in all of your fierce feminist glory! 

Check out our e-shop for everything you need to throw your next non-traditional celebration.