We recently had our daughter’s birthday party, and we held it in a public park near our house, where there’s an old parks department building. The sun plan was outdoors, but of course it thunderstormed and we didn’t have a back-up plan. So we called an audible and asked if we could use the back room in the parks building and they said sure.
So we ended up with a bunch of kids running around a dank, old, concrete room (1950’s style – mostly unchanged since then), eating pizza and cake and being entertained by a (wonderful, thank god) balloon twister, in the pouring rain. It was dead simple, and cheap. And the kids had a *fabulous* time. Our daughter was thrilled; one of her friends said it was the best party ever.
It just goes to show that sometimes, simple is best (or at least, can be great).
.
Sometimes?
All the time. Your kids will remember that party more than the most expensive one you ever throw. Simple is memorable.
JLM
http://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com
agreed!
As a parent who moved to the US and discovered what “birthday parties” are here I am thrilled to read that not everybody here is an adept of these outrageously expensive always-more birthday parties! We were a ashamed when we invited a few of my daughter’s friends at home and they played with her toys and have a (delidious) home made chocolate cake!
ha! yes, can totally see that being a shock. the europeans do simple well.
The going joke (when my kids were younger) was that instead of taking them with us on a nice vacation they would enjoy it just as much if we took them to a Holiday Inn in Edison NJ and let them swim in the pool there.
The nice party is for the adults, not for the kids.
Once the kids get past puberty though (or go through it) their eyes tend to open to differences in the world and in their environment. You will see them start to reject some childhood friends and they will get rejected by some friends as well.
Yep, makes perfect sense
Our next door neighbors just spent a month in Italy and apparently the kids were complaining and fighting the whole time. They might have enjoyed the Edison Holiday inn better too
And yes, totally makes sense about how their for changes over time