"Technically, celebrating a birthday is not a DF offense. I suspect that with the proliferation of the previously top-secret elders manual online, kids are figuring that out and thumbing their noses at the org.
I think it has become one of those "don't ask don't tell" things. If you quietly mark the occasion with those who have the same idea as you, and are careful to avoid "stumbling" Sister Bitchy-Nose, you should be OK."
That's very interesting to me, as I've just celebrated my son's birthday. Is there a specific reference to this in the current elders manual?
I wonder if celebrating birthdays is becoming a little bit like gambling, in the sense that if it's something that you do discreetly once in a while, and if nobody in your family suffers because of it, it's difficult to argue that an act of sin is being committed.
And if you're not committing an act of sin, then how can you be DFed?