Would it be worse if we weren't invited? Maybe if we weren't close to the birthday kid – or the only ones uninvited!
We have just experienced putting on a big party for Rafy's 4th birthday as I thought it had to be done at some point. Well, when I say "we", I mean me; single-handedly, I organised the whole shebang. I'd caught the fever and was swept up in the exciting idea of it all. When Rafy turned 3, we had a party at home and I provided the usual cake and food. I thought I would do it the way we used to have it: home-made fun, close friends only (pre-nursery), pin the tail and pass the parcel, with a sprinkling of home-made sugar treats as you would expect.
However, I thought they'd be too young for professional entertainment and this poor judgement allowed the flat to be ripped to shreds by ruthless mini monsters. It was uncanny and horrifying how little time it took for a small bunch of 3-year-olds to destroy a few metres squared. And have I mentioned the noise level? Think of a heavy drilling on a construction site but three octaves higher.
It was a proper riot of munchkins. That was the least of the trauma as I couldn't actually get people to leave despite my invitations clearly stating the end time! It's all very exciting when the pandemonium is in someone else's home, isn't it?
To be fair, I did have a communal outdoor space in mind for the occasion but the rain had different ideas of its own. It felt like sniffing out Wimbledon season, wondering if the rain would ruin our big match! The following year, I made sure to hire a hall but the mess was actually fairly minimal, Sod's Law. Why is it when you expect hyper-activeness, there is barely a sprinkle in sight?
It was a proper riot of munchkins. That was the least of the trauma as I couldn't actually get people to leave despite my invitations clearly stating the end time! It's all very exciting when the pandemonium is in someone else's home, isn't it?
To be fair, I did have a communal outdoor space in mind for the occasion but the rain had different ideas of its own. It felt like sniffing out Wimbledon season, wondering if the rain would ruin our big match! The following year, I made sure to hire a hall but the mess was actually fairly minimal, Sod's Law. Why is it when you expect hyper-activeness, there is barely a sprinkle in sight?
I have it on good merit that the quantity of parties does reduce greatly after the first couple of years of school life, when the whole class does not necessarily have to be invited and the kid has a more selective circle. I guess the frequency of them diminishes too. However, this nursery year, we had about seven parties to attend within the same month! Talk about having a dent in your wallet and a social calendar to be envious of, or not!
Do most parents feel the pressure to impress and out-do each other in the spiralling, out-of-control party world? I know it is booming business with some companies at the top end of the market, supplying ice rinks, dry ski slopes and movie-themed stages (like Frozen), sometimes into their own homes! We're talking ridiculous sums in excess of £70,000! The average spent is around £191 which I personally think is quite sensible, so how did I manage to lose my own head then and spend twice the sensible average? Just goes to show that I can't even take my own advice to get a grip.
Why do I put myself through the grief and madness of it all? Kiddo would get just as much enjoyment from a small gathering. I mean, it's not as if the presents received are the enticement... my throat plummets into my stomach when he opens anything consisting of lots of little pieces. When you think about it, that doesn't leave much to welcome! Jigsaws, games with lots of small pieces, art n crafts, Lego... just the mere thought trying to squeeze more into our stacked-to-the-brim, overcrowded Ikea storage, is causing palpitations already.
Do most parents feel the pressure to impress and out-do each other in the spiralling, out-of-control party world? I know it is booming business with some companies at the top end of the market, supplying ice rinks, dry ski slopes and movie-themed stages (like Frozen), sometimes into their own homes! We're talking ridiculous sums in excess of £70,000! The average spent is around £191 which I personally think is quite sensible, so how did I manage to lose my own head then and spend twice the sensible average? Just goes to show that I can't even take my own advice to get a grip.
Why do I put myself through the grief and madness of it all? Kiddo would get just as much enjoyment from a small gathering. I mean, it's not as if the presents received are the enticement... my throat plummets into my stomach when he opens anything consisting of lots of little pieces. When you think about it, that doesn't leave much to welcome! Jigsaws, games with lots of small pieces, art n crafts, Lego... just the mere thought trying to squeeze more into our stacked-to-the-brim, overcrowded Ikea storage, is causing palpitations already.
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