It was recently my youngest’s first birthday, I don’t know if you’re like me or whether it varies from culture to culture but I felt I had to throw a big party for this auspicious occasion. I had previously thrown a big party for my first boy, I’m not sure whether I wanted to do the same again or whether I felt obliged to throw a big party because I had already done so before.
What I want to talk about in this post is how to manage the work and the kids when you have a one off event like a birthday party to organise. We went down the do-it-yourself route, i.e.
- hire an empty hall,
- lay it out,
- decorate it,
- set the food up and
- then a few hours later tidy the whole thing away,
- we even all the various cakes and goodie bags ourselves.
Like everything else what was challenging to do with one child became a infinitely more complex and slow while trying to do all this with two children. While I was able to do all the set-up, I actually had to hire in two helpers on the day, I couldn’t manage the logistics once the guests started to arrive, one of the ladies was permanently in the kitchen, the other was between the hall and the kitchen. It’s the first time I’ve actually had to hire help in, I felt a bit uncomfortable as I am used to doing things myself but the circumstances dictated that I had to do so.
I actually had a great time on the day as did all the guests, children and grown ups alike. I think part of the reason I enjoyed it so was as much to do with relief that all the planning and arragements were over.
I think in future years we will opt for the organised party options, where you can take the kids bowling, skating etc. and the organisers then sort out all the food and activities for the children afterwards and the parents can kick back for a couple of hours, in fact if we go down the bowling route I may hire a lane for the parents to bowl, maybe a bouncy castle for the adults too.
I recently went to one party and even managed to sneak in a frame of pool whilst holding my baby in one arm.
Do you like throwing big parties or do you prefer to take them out for a day? My own view is that kids enjoy the company of other kids, i.e. their friends. Certainly organising a party on this scale every year would be feasible, inviting their friends and parents out on a day trip would be easier. I guess the onus would be on me to pay for the other kid’s entry to the amusement park, is that how it works? Should the parent who does the inviting pay for the guests?Love to hear your approaches to parties, days out and how to manage all the logistics and handle the politics involved.Thanks for reading.Farhan
Thanks so much for your support - it's genuinely appreciated
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