Birthday parties are out of control. Gone are the days of homemade birthday cakes and hose fights in the backyard.
Now there are spa days and party buses and shopping sprees and backyard zoos. Loot bags rival gift bags given to the stars at award shows. They have actual toys, not gum and a cheap plastic figurine.
It’s our fault. Parents are so competitive that we are constantly trying to outdo each other. It used to be about who volunteered the most at the school or baked the most for the bake sale. Now that we’re all working and too busy, it’s about who can spend the most money or throw the most elaborate birthday party.
I’m guilty of it. I’ve paid for jumpy castles, laser tag, and a day at the amusement park for 10 kids. I even paid $200 for an indoor food fight (the kids get hosed down afterwards).
But recently, a parent upped the ante. For her daughter’s birthday, the kids had a shopping spree at the local mall. For a gift, the children were asked to provide money or a gift card for a store at the mall and then join the girl as she spent her loot. Of course, no girl wants to go shopping without buying a little something for herself so that meant that parents not only provide spending money for the birthday girl but also a little spending money for our own children. What fun.
What do you do in a situation like this? If I say yes then I am perpetuating the problem. If I say no, my child misses out on a day of fun with her friends. Then there’s the little problem of having other things to spend that kind of money on—like food and a mortgage. I ended up letting her go with only a couple of dollars in spending money and only because I gave in to the guilt (but I’m still mad about it).
I wish things would go back to the way they used to be. I should start my own ‘retro’ birthday party company and charge people for lopsided cakes, cheap balloons and a good ole’ round of pin the tail on the donkey. There are parents who would pay for that. Maybe I’m on to something…
Now there are spa days and party buses and shopping sprees and backyard zoos. Loot bags rival gift bags given to the stars at award shows. They have actual toys, not gum and a cheap plastic figurine.
It’s our fault. Parents are so competitive that we are constantly trying to outdo each other. It used to be about who volunteered the most at the school or baked the most for the bake sale. Now that we’re all working and too busy, it’s about who can spend the most money or throw the most elaborate birthday party.
I’m guilty of it. I’ve paid for jumpy castles, laser tag, and a day at the amusement park for 10 kids. I even paid $200 for an indoor food fight (the kids get hosed down afterwards).
But recently, a parent upped the ante. For her daughter’s birthday, the kids had a shopping spree at the local mall. For a gift, the children were asked to provide money or a gift card for a store at the mall and then join the girl as she spent her loot. Of course, no girl wants to go shopping without buying a little something for herself so that meant that parents not only provide spending money for the birthday girl but also a little spending money for our own children. What fun.
What do you do in a situation like this? If I say yes then I am perpetuating the problem. If I say no, my child misses out on a day of fun with her friends. Then there’s the little problem of having other things to spend that kind of money on—like food and a mortgage. I ended up letting her go with only a couple of dollars in spending money and only because I gave in to the guilt (but I’m still mad about it).
I wish things would go back to the way they used to be. I should start my own ‘retro’ birthday party company and charge people for lopsided cakes, cheap balloons and a good ole’ round of pin the tail on the donkey. There are parents who would pay for that. Maybe I’m on to something…
