I think birthday celebrations teach kids to be self-centered, but that’s neither here nor there. (And I lost that battle with my wife as to my own kid anyway.)

But the folks criticizing the article aren’t just asserting that these things are good. They’re claiming that not having these things is so damaging that a woman who prioritizes her career over attending birthday parties and school events is a bad mother. But many children grow up to be perfectly well adjusted despite not having those things. That is evidence of the fact that, even if those things are “good,” they’re not “essential.”