Birthday Parties- Are Some Parents Going Too Far?

by Myra Turner | More from this Blogger

Have birthday parties for kids gotten out of hand? Have they gotten more elaborate? Yes, according to a campaign being launched today called Birthdays Without Pressure.

One of the organizers of the campaigned realized that she was going overboard when she had a tea party for 15 kindergartners for her daughter's birthday three years ago. She says she started out trying to do something simple and it escalated into an affair that had her obsessed with the every little detail of the party. She put so much effort into the goody bags and other preparations, she was up until midnight the night before the party making sure everything was perfect.

She noticed that when the parents came to pick up their kids she could read two things on their faces. One, they were impressed with what she had done. Two, they looked terrified that they too might have to do something equally impressive for their child's next party.

Instead of the simple cake and ice-cream parties most of us had when we were kids, birthday parties today are themed-parties with fancy decorations and goody bags for the kids to take home. In my day, we came with a present and left empty-handed unless there was some leftover homemade cake to take with us.

Some parents are really going overboard. In an article in USA Today, a mother told of how she attended a party recently for a 5-year-old at the Ritz-Carlton (in Atlanta) that featured horse-drawn carriage rides! Now, I think that's a bit much. These parents aren't parents you would see profiled on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. These are everyday middle class parents who feel pressured to keep up with the Joneses. Well, if I have to throw a party at the Ritz-Carlton for a 5-year-old, then I guess the Joneses will just have to go ahead and leave me.

Birthday parties are meant to be just that--- a party. A fun time where kids run around and get dirty and play games and eat cake and ice-cream. It's sad that some parents care more about appearances than whether their kids are having a good time.

See also:

Inexpensive Birthday Party Ideas

Your Child's Birthday Celebration Can Be Simple and Fun

Party!

Learn more about Myra Turner

I'm a proud mid-life single mom with an active seven-year-old son, Tyler.

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