You should know that I love birthdays. Truly. I love the never-ending countdown until the big day. I love to spoil my children rotten, waking them up with pancakes and balloons and making them feel like it’s the best day of the year. I love buying them gifts, wrapping them and hiding them, eagerly anticipating their reactions. It’s so much fun. Having said that, I’m not a big fan of birthday parties. As a host I find them draining, expensive and stressful. As a guest they rank pretty low on my list of what I’d like to be doing on a Saturday afternoon, slightly above a trip to the pediatrician and several notches below spending a rainy day at home.
For Lily’s third birthday, I handmade every stupid invitation from scratch, slaving over them for weeks. I cut, I printed, I drew, I glued, I tied. It was work. And they were good. A few days later she found a cheap Cinderella fill-in-the-blank in her cubby and asked why she didn’t get to have the beautiful princess invitation too? It was so much nicer that what she had. Lovely. Her most recent party was a joint effort during which I learned that I am way to much of a control freak to ever plan a party with anyone again. Ever.
When one of the kids get invited to a party, it’s rubbed mercilessly in the others face for weeks. Once the big day comes, the cheap trinkets the attendee brings home are suddenly the most desirable toys in the house. The fights over them can last for days. Balloons inevitably end up in the ceiling fan and the sugar crashes far outweigh the high that preceded them.
And what about the blowing out of the candles? I think this is the oddest of traditions. When else is it considered acceptable for a kids to spit all over communal food? After I’ve survived the pure chaos of a party, your kid needs to spit all over the cake that mine is about to consume? And then take another deep gasp and do it again? And again? How difficult is it to blow out five candles in one breath? And this is after the icing has inevitably been taste tested by a slew of grimy pre-school fingers. Yuck.
Am I the the only one gagging over spit on cake, or do I have some company here? Or have I just forever ruined birthdays for the rest of you?
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Just survived two children’s birthdays parties two weekends in a row – in between I was suppposed to celebrate mine, yeah right. We celebrated my daughter’s JANUARY bday on APril 4, pushed it off until spring so we could take everyone to a camel farm. We celebrated my son’s the following weekend – outdoor grill and soccer. Easy. The kids loved it. After all the superorganized theme parties they attend, they were thrilled to just be allowed to play. (The boys are 7) My suggestion – plan to have kids in the summer – its way easier than worrying about what to do with 10 screaming 7 year olds in November!
PS- came across you and your blog through the Problogger course. I have visitors in town for the first half of APril so NOT time to do a lot of the homework right now, but I am checking in daily. Will check in with you again as well once the guests are gone! I JUST started a blog on twins and large families – the writing is fun and easy, but setting up something like THIS is WORK. WOuld LOVE to know how you do it with your 3 little ones at home! You go girl!
Christine Steinmann’s last blog post..Dark Child
I totally agree with the anti-birthday party movement! My son is 11 and has had only one “party” We did the whole pizza and video game thing when he turned 4 – only had a couple close friends and their kids there, though. I think it is crazy now how at my sons school – if you handed out one invitation in class – you had to invite the whole class… The one way out of that was to mail individual invitations to the homes – I asked him to help get the addresses for me one year so I could mail invitations, and he came up empty-handed. Now I definitely don’t want 25-30 kids running around my house… #1 – I have never lived anywhere that could support that size of a party #2 – kids are great – my kids – and I know that sounds awful – but there are very few kids I have seen who I can tolerate – whether it be manners or actions or just talking over everyone. #3 – that is just entirely too expensive with enough cake & ice cream – and if the kids are expecting party bags. argh!!! you got me on a roll!!! :) – point being – I AGREE!
Becca’s last blog post..Easter
Birthdays of all ages should be a strict just send cash policy. Nothing else. Plain envelope. Cash inside. No names. No return address. Just cash.
Ryan’s last blog post..Week 28
I don’t envy you this… I have enough trouble with my own birthday party.
That picture IS priceless, though!
LiLu’s last blog post..I Can Handle "Manic", But What the Eff Is This Monday
I agree. I was totally into parties for Hayden. He had 3 of them and now I stopped. I feel bad, the babies totally got the short end of the stick.
Jen, buried with children’s last blog post..Goooooood Morning!
I detest children’s birthday parties. We always just do family get-togethers and maybe a fun family outing. That’s it. No strange children to spit on our cakes, thank you very much
Tiffany’s last blog post..Post-Holiday Let Down
My kids never really go to birthday parties and that is one of the reasons. I always think of things like what if that child is sick. When people comes to my house for my kids birthday’s they know I either make one or buy one for the guests and make one or buy one for the birthday kid. That way my child does not ruin anyone’s cake. I am glad to hear I am not the only one that thinks things like that. My husband always says it’s no big deal. I am the type that likes to know what my kids are eating is safe. I really love that picture. I can never seem to get a picture to come out like that. That is really beautiful. Your little girl is beautiful too.
Oh, I have issues, alright.
For that reason one of my children has never even had a birthday party (he doesn’t know yet that he’s missing anything)………I do big family parties, but those don’t count b/c I don’t feel the same pressure. But, inviting friends? Forget it. My older girls only get a friend party every other year.
AND, I rank invites to birthday parties BELOW visits to the pediatrician. I just plain don’t like spending my afternoon that way. :)
angie’s last blog post..Tuesday’s Tribute-Easter Egg Hunts
Absolutely not – nothing to ruin! I don’t like birthday parties, no matter who they are for. I feel exactly as you do about them. My favorite way to celebrate one of our birthdays? A lovely breakfast, a delicious dinner with cake, and then on the weekend, a prolonged celebration where we get to go out somewhere fun and do stuff together all day long.
Also, the control-freak thing? SO with you on that one.
Elisa’s last blog post..I’m not an island. And neither are you.
I despise A L L things birthday. I just can’t stand any of it. The whining the crying, the headaches, and that’s just me, the kids are an entirely different ball of misery. LOL. Cute post.
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Hmmm…I never quite thought of it that way before. About the spit on cake thing.
I don’t do birthday parties of others. That’s daddy’s job. To go to all the birthday parties with the kids.
I DO not do parties any longer! TOO MUCH work – I feel like a crazy person at the end! The cake – I NEVER eat the dessert – ever! I swear – I always see the cake cutter lick her finger and then stick it back on another piece of cake!
i never thought about the germ spreading, but it is funny how many breaths it can take to blow out so few candles! it is tiring for sure – we’ve thankfully moved on a bit now the girls are older!
scrappysue’s last blog post..a couple of layouts
I so feel your pain… I busted my ass every year to make dane’s b-day party SPECIAL… i would work weeks planning the big day… I let my husband do it last year… slapped the thing together in a few hours & guess what…it was THE BEST BIRTHDAY E V E R …
Are you freaken kidding me?
American in Norway’s last blog post..Just needed a breather…. Tag…
You know, I never questioned the blowing out candles bit. But you’re right. Who came up with the idea of lighting candles on cakes?! Interesting…
And the cheapest stuff is always the kids’ favorites. You should know that by now.
Rhea’s last blog post..Breaking the Law
That was an amazing party for her.. You’re a great mom.. I also love preparing parties for my kids, as well as they also love it.
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