We have just recovered from ‘The Birthdays’. Two of our children were born on the same day four years apart so the poor little mites have to share their special day together. I think most of you will sympathise with me when it comes to organising The Birthday Party, particularly when we are dealing with a grown-up, pink and glittery girl and an active baby boy who crawls in mud and is quite partial to eating the odd woodlouse.
To get some help, I ‘googled’ “childrens’ parties” and discovered some terrifying facts. One report revealed that UK parents spend more than £1.25 billion a year on childrens’ birthday parties and an average of £18 per head. Apparently, the fifth birthday is the biggest with many parents spending more than £500 on it. Extraordinarily, more than half of parents say they worry more about what other parents think than about what their children want. So, according to this research, if our two children shared a party and invited around 30 children between them, we could be digging into our pockets for a staggering £792!
Advice offered by experts also says to never ask a child what sort of party it wants, avoid organising a party during the afternoon as children are too tired, offer carrot and cucumber sticks rather than crisps, sweeten the cake with apple juice, not sugar, and absolutely never ever have balloons as they may burst and traumatise children for life.
Thankfully, I am not aware of any parent who really minds what others think about their party. Most just want to get through the day and keep their sanity intact. The parties we go to are fun, sweet-filled, traditional parties with an abundance of balloons. In our case though, we plan to spend the next eleven months persuading our daughter to celebrate her sixth birthday with a few close friends in a local coffee shop. Meanwhile, perhaps we could plead with a local farmer to take our son on a tractor ride - a truly memorable birthday treat for any two-year-old boy.
