So I am on the home stretch of planning my son's 7th birthday! He's 7 already, that long fingered , big eyed bundle of joy I brought home all those moons ago is almost 7. In the midst of all this planning, I have begun to reflect on how the birthday party has evolved for us.
Simon's 1st birthday was a gong-show. I mean, who do you invite? Where do you host it? The answer, if you're a new parent it EVERYONE and at your house, respectively. I mean, 12mths of playdates, playgroups and meetings at the park garner a 1 year old a boat load of besties and they all should be at the celebration.
In reality, the 1st birthday is for the parents. That's right, I said it. The parents. They survived the 12 months of chaos after bringing home their non-refundable drooling, pooping, and torturous forced insomnia. They have been peed on, head butted and have left the remote control in the refrigerator more times than they care to admit. Hockey games were missed, a good glass of wine a distant memory, nursery rhymes have replaced knowledge of Microsoft Excel in their brains.
You have learned what valves go into what sippy cups, what diapers can contain the foulest smells and you can fold down that stroller like an Olympian! Parents give up a whole heck of a lot and while everyone is happy that baby is one year old, they are truly celebrating the fact that no one gave up.
Who do you invite to such a auspicious occasion? Every relative, friend, drinking buddy, crafting pal, you have ever had the pleasure of looking at. That lady at the gym who wiped down the elliptical, the waiter who said your sleeping child was adorable, they get to come have cake too! Don't laugh, you seasoned parents out there have done this and more.
The subsequent birthdays are for the parents too, in a way. What better way to check out and regulate the friends your child has. My son's most recent birthdays involved having the parents stay so we could meet and vett the parents. I let him pick the invitees, but if I didn't like them, they never came back.
Of course, some folks might argue this is a toy grab for junior and it is. All those crazy, trendy toys that you have been harassed about, are now potentially being bought by someone else. Sure it's pricey feeding 10 kids pizza, cake and juice pops. Cleaning up after them is a disaster too, betcha didn't know that a Kool-Aid can spray that far up the wall with little effort! Yet at the end of the day, as you tuck in little Suzy or Ryan, you get regaled with stories of " ...the best time ever...I laughed so much....you're the best..."
Finally, if you've done the parenting thing right, you have become a totally uncool entity in your child's eyes. Your goofy impression of Bill Clinton, humiliating, that great head band you bought at a yard sale, shameful and don't get them started on the baby photos you have hung on every available surface in your home. This is when you can host that very last party. This one, like the first is more for you than for the child. You can now drink a glass of wine or six on a school night, you don't have to drive anyone to swim practice or pack any lunches. So invite your friends, let the kids duck out early and you can head to bed at 9pm.
They will love you for it.
So whatever stage you're at with your child is at, whatever stage you are at with your party hosting, let Barnilay help you make it no-stress day. Give us your budget, your theme and let the good times roll!
