Yesterday I was at a children’s birthday party while visiting my son and his family in Miami. Friends of theirs have twins, a boy and a girl, who turned seven.
The party was from 11am to 2pm at the children’s house.
From past experiences with other children’s birthday parties, I knew what to expect. Each party is a dog-and-pony show to try and outdo the last party.
Being from the Midwest and having my last birthday party as a child about sixty years ago, I can tell you there is an enormous difference between my birthday parties and the ones my grandchildren go to.
The Miami parties don’t serve hotdogs, Koolaid, a home-made cake, or play pin the tail on the donkey!
The first time I attended a child’s birthday party in Miami was for my grandson’s first birthday. They invited about one hundred adults and children, the food was catered, the largest bounce house (until yesterday) that I have ever seen, a large tent with tables, chairs, and linens, hired entertainers to keep the children entertained, a face painter, and a line of coolers with every imaginable soft drink, beer, wine, and water. And let’s not even talk about the decorations! When I heard that the helium tank to fill hundreds of balloons was $750, I about had a stroke. All in all, the total price tag was about $7,500. FOR A KIDS BIRTHDAY PARTY.
After my blood pressure returned to normal, I justified this dog-and-pony show with ‘it’s his first birthday and they got carried away’.
Nope. They repeated this performance every year, and when my granddaughter came along, they did it twice a year! Thank God my son and his wife are successful. But all of their friends do the same thing for their kids.
Ok…back to the Stepford Wives.
One of the things I noticed about all the mom’s of my grandchildren’s friends is that they all look alike. The only difference is hair color.
They are all a Size Zero, toned bodies, tan, long hair parted in the middle, HUGE engagement / wedding rings, designer aviator-style glasses, and clothes you won’t find at Penney’s.
The husband’s aren’t far behind. Nicely pressed shorts, designer polo shirts, leather loafers, and designer glasses.
Now that my grandson and granddaughter are seven and five, I’ve seen this many times. It never changes.
Oh, and let me tell you about the birthday presents. The majority of the gifts are ordered and sent to the residence. God forbid you show up carrying a wrapped present when it can be sent in an Amazon box!
And if you’re lucky enough to be the brother (s) / sister (s) of the guest of honor, you may also receive a gift because today parents don’t want children to be disappointed or left out.
When I heard that, I almost stroked. Are you supposed to wait to be an adult before you experience your first disappointment and then try to navigate thru that with no prior experience?
As a point of reference, there are anywhere from one to three of these dog-and-pony shows almost every weekend. You simply pick and choose which ones you want to attend.
When I first experienced all of this I wanted to know how you manage to go to all these parties AND get your house cleaned, laundry done, and get groceries.
It’s easy…they all have housekeepers and Instacart.
There you have it!
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