Holding Birthday Parties for Kids

For those of you with kids over 5, you know that birthdays get more complicated each year. It starts out fun with the first birthday: lots of pictures with friends and family, the adults socializing, the child the center of attention, and of course, birthday cake everywhere, some of which actually makes it inside the messy little creature.

Over time, things get more involved, especially after they head off to school. They start developing a serious case of the "I wants" weeks before the big day, for toys you never knew existed and would need a second mortgage to afford. They need something to bring in for the other kids in class. The birthday cake needs to be decided upon. And then, of course, there's the parties. And let's be honest: there's a certain level of comparison to whatever you did last year, or for your other kids...and even, what the other parents have done.

Last year (prior to losing our sanity) we held Taran's 6th birthday party at a local bowling alley. The kids had fun bowling, ate pizza, opened presents...and when it was all done, we left the staff there to clean up afterward. This year, we decided to hold it at our house, for 10 children in all. The theme: Dinosaurs!

The day arrived, and our preparations done, our excitement built as the first child arrived: Darwin, the son of schoolteachers. As his mom dropped him off, she looked up the steps at my wife, an expression of deep pity on her face, and said "You are a brave, brave woman...". With that, she turned, and left. I think I saw a smirk on her face. If a teacher thinks this is going to be difficult, what hope does a middle-aged programmer, a housewife, and her parents have? But it was too late now, the kids were on the way.

3 hours later, after the last child left, the parents and grandparents promptly cracked open an adult beverage. In all, it went well. There were some things I learned, too

Thoughts on hosting birthday parties for children:

1. Food. You really can't have too much. The 10 children devoured almost an entire sheet pizza, half a rectangular cake, a third of a carton of ice cream, and 1.5 gallons of apple cider.

2. Food. The kids really can have too much. You really shouldn't let them eat without limits. Apparently, food for 7-year-olds is like beer for a college fraternity brother: given unlimited quantities, they will overindulge. Not realizing this, I feverishly doled out slices of pizza and cold cider, like a casino promoter on a Las Vegas sidewalk hands out flyers, thinking perhaps it would calm them. I started to think this was a bad idea after one girl downed her second pint of cider without pausing to breathe. Her eyes lost focus for a moment, she stared straight ahead into space, her mouth open, with the expressionless face of a child who is about to throw up. You've all seen the look, and know the helpless paniced feeling that inspires. Fortunately, this did not happen. Instead, she collapsed onto the floor. The alarmed adults rushed over, only to find her giggling. Very funny... Shortly thereafter, the birthday boy announced that 3 pieces of pizza, two pieces of cake, and ice cream had given him a tummy ache. Lesson learned.

3. Kids love pinatas, and they're easy to make. Blow up a balloon, and then apply newspaper strips. Heather used a special-purpose glue, but you could use the traditional flour-and-water paste. Let dry between layers. You can make it as thick or thin as you want. The commercial ones are usually too hard, and it takes forever for the kids to break it open. Once assembled, decorate however you like; Heather made it look like a dinosaur egg, though you could probably do a poke-ball or other theme-related item. Hack: make the kids stand behind a line. One boy - jockeying for pole position to get the candy - got a little too close, and was promptly whacked in the face by the blindfolded boy with the stick. Like the food, you'd think I would have seen that coming: blindfolded boy wildly swinging a stick in fierce pursuit of candy = armed and dangerous...desperate, with nothing to lose. We gave the victim some ice, and the show went on; he wasn't too hurt to sit out the mad scramble for candy. His eye didn't swell up, and his parents didn't sue us, so I guess we're okay (note to self: check into general liability insurance before the next party).

4. Games and activities. Lots of them. Have some to spare so the fun won't run out before the parents return and rescue you from their children. One fun one was "pass the parcel". To do this, wrap a present in many layers of wrapping paper. Have the kids sit in a circle, and put on some lively music. Have the kids pass the parcel around, and then suddenly pause the music. Whoever has the parcel gets to take off one layer of paper. Restart the music, and repeat until a child reaches the present. This was a big hit.

5. Grownup assistants. Recruit them more vigorously than an Armed Services rep at a high school career fair pursues teenage boys. We had 4 total (though one was usually watching the 2-year-old toddler) and could have used one more.

In all, it was really a lot of fun, less expensive than a professionally hosted birthday party , and probably more fun for the kids too.

These are my thoughts on the subject - post yours in the comments!