Monday 7 June 2010

How much do you pay for your childrens Birthday party?

A friend sent me this link - http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/RaiseKids/KidsPartiesatSpareNoExpensePrices.aspx - it seems that for some people, having birthday party for their children is a competive sport. I did a quick google and there were plenty of other stories of "extravagent partie". We are not talking Bahmitzvah's or special birthdays (18th or 21st). Just run on the mill birthdays. My son recently turned 10 years old. We asked him what he'd really like. He said he'd like all of his mates to come around for a huge water fight. We asked him about food. He said he'd like a barbeque and a cake. He said they could have their fight, eat a barbeque, watch Doctor Who and then have a bit more of a water fight.

As a result, we hosted about 10 boys from 2pm until 9pm on Saturday. Total costs £60 for a bouncy castle, about £20 for Iceland bargain barbeque packs, about £25 for various cakes and £15 bottles of pop. Add a few quid fopr lagers for the dads and wine for the mums when they came to collect and we're done.

A couple of the boys parents rang up to say their boys had slept like logs and had told them it was agreat party. Having a sunny day and a decent sized garden helps, but it reinforces my view that you don't have to spend a fortune for young people to have a bit of fun. When Matt announced that he wanted a "long party" from 2pm until 9pm, we had our worries, but as it turned out they were great. He was proud that it was his baby and his mates had a great time. I'm a great believer in letting them get on with it and they did. The best thing was that apart from the much needed break to watch Dr Who, they spent the whole time away from the telly. It confirmed my view that town planners who plan homes without gardens are criminals.

No comments: