It is funny how your perspective changes. When I was a child a birthday celebration was when my mom made a cake, dad brought home ice cream and we'd run down to the neighbor's houses the day of, or at most, the day before, and invite them to have ice cream and cake at our house. We would get a couple of presents from our parents, a few small homemade gifts from siblings, and maybe one or two presents from neighborhood kids. Every couple of years, you would have a 'party' where you'd have slightly more formal arrangements, to the extent of sending out invitations a week before and having a few balloons or party games. Everything else was pretty much the same except you were likely to get more presents from your friends.
This is just so different from my son's life where he goes to and gives parties where the value of the goody bags exceeds the relative value of the whole party of my childhood. My son just turned nine. We had a pizza and movie party. We invited five friends, plus one extra little sister for Bridget's sake, my son and Bridget (2 1/2 year old sister). This was eight children. We started at a pizza restaurant where we ordered pizzas and drinks for everyone. This was followed by a store bought, decorated whole sheet cake, with balloons and presents. Because a lot was going on, we'd gotten the invitations out late so I indicated no presents were necessary on the invitations. "We don't need presents, just your presence." Of course almost every darn one of the kids brought presents. Then we all walked across the plaza to the movie theater. We bought tickets for eight kids and one adult. (Daddy ducked out by taking the cake, balloons & presents home instead.) Afterwards, we handed out goodie bags with a small toy and a $5 gift card in a decorated cellophane bag. Total cost about $200. And we consider this normal. In fact, we consider this the minimum for a "big" birthday year. (He alternates years with his sister as to who gets the 'big' party.)
In previous years, we have done Chuck E. Cheese birthdays where we reserve a table, bring cake, have pizza and balloons and we get tokens for all of the kids. And goodie bags, don't forget the goodie bags! For a party of 6-8 kids, about $250-275. Again, this is considered 'normal'.
Many of his friends parents have rented out one of the local bounce houses with an hour or so of bouncing, a party room, set up, clean up, cake, and of course, goodie bags. The total cost for those is actually not that much more and the packages are fairly inclusive. All told, probably $400-$450 total, BUT this is for around 20 children so you can invite his whole school class. We've priced these out and actually considered this as an option, but the real stopper is that I usually don't start making reservations early enough and couldn't get the dates I wanted. Apparently it is normal to start making children's birthday plans 2-3 months out. A far cry from running down the street to invite friends for cake the day before.
I am taken aback by the complete change of perspective. How could I have come so far in changing my thinking? Is this difference between now and then a difference in time? Or a difference in economic status? Was it normal 30 years ago for other children to have entire facilities rented out and treasure laden goodie bags? Or is this really a different set of rules than in my childhood?
I want my children to have a "normal" childhood, but has the definition of 'normal' changed? Or is it just me?
