veris..Not my place to lecture you on parenting,but give ur kid a chance at making those later decisions on his own(kissing/having girlfriends,etc)..going by what you write here,i'm sure ull do your best to inculcate ur faith in him..the reason he got obsessed with bdays(being a kid) is bcos u dont have it at home..so i dont think its the case of a culture being imposed on you,but the lack of acceptance for it that actually led to the obsession you r describing here..
One thing is certain..the more rules you set,the more likely kids are to break them(not out of bad character,but simply out of rebellion.youth rebel..)fact of life..