Birthday Parties Can Be Fun

by Lauri Griffin | More from this Blogger

09 Apr 2008 11:07 AM

I know a lot of parents who dread birthday parties. They don't like the noise, the expense, or the amount of presents. I will admit that I don't either. I have been to some very out of control parties. Over the years the parties seem to get more and more expensive and hyper. My brother emailed a story of a family who spent over $2000 on a birthday party for their son, who was turning one!

Birthday parties don't have to break the bank though. And they can be fun though, for everyone. Or at the very least, they don't have to be something to absolutely dread. I think there are ways to honor the child without making the parents crazy. We've done all kinds of birthdays, the laser parties, the activity parties, at home backyard parties, and even sleepovers. Particularly as the kids get older, we do special things that aren't necessarily the typical birthday party. We've taken special friends to Six Flags, a water park, and the movies. This way we honor the special day without quite as much craziness.

If the amount of gifts is a concern, you can limit the number of guests. I know it gets hard though when you feel like you need to invite the whole class or people who have invited your children to their own parties. Just realize that more children equals more noise, more expense, and more gifts. I've read that you can get your guests to donate to charity instead of buying gifts, but I've never actually known a birthday child who was that generous!

I've always appreciated the parents who stuck around and helped. I enjoy getting to know them better, and the extra help is always nice! I try to make sure the grownups get food and beverages too. If the party is at my house I usually set up a coffee bar for the parents. Providing coffee or a slice of pizza is a small gesture that treats the adults like guests instead of chauffeurs.

I really don't like the idea of treat bags. I know some people view them as a thank you for coming to the party. To me it seems excessive, and an unnecessary expense. The invited child gets to go to a hopefully fun party and will get cake, ice cream, and maybe a meal. For me, that seems to be enough. And honestly, most treat bags are filled with plastic junk that breaks before we even get home. I will admit to occasionally doing treat bags, but I try to make them unique. I will send home crafts we did at the party, leftover supplies of a game like Frisbees, or beach balls, or bubbles, or a photo of the child, or a special candy that is theme related.

Keep posted for more party theme ideas here at the Fun section of Families.com.

Also See:

Birthday Traditions

Birthday Party Planning

Birthday Parties for Twins

Learn more about Lauri Griffin

Lauri lives in Colorado with her husband and three sons. Amidst all the laundry and packing of lunches, she tries to keep parenting fun.

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