Do you have birthday parties for your kids or do you take them out?
By ctrymuziklvr
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
United States
November 16, 2007 8:47pm CST
When my girls were small I always had birthday parties for them at home. Usually I would bake and decorate a special cake for them. The one that stands out to me is a cinderella doll cake that my youngest daughter wanted. I made that thing from scratch and she was beautiful! We invited all of their little friends and cousins and always had a great time.
Then my son was born! The first few years I had parties at home for him too until Chuck E. Cheeses came into being and that was the end of that. Everyone was having their parties there so that's where we had a couple of his parties. I wasn't too happy because it felt so impersonal to me but the kids loved it and it was for them after all.
Which do you do? Parties at home or do you take the kids somewhere that they enjoy? What is it that you REALLY would rather do?
2 people like this
10 responses
@slickcut (8141)
• United States
17 Nov 07
Well my children are all big now but when they were growing up i had a party for them.I remember well my oldest sons birthday ,it was his 9th and he had a big party...I use to bake a cake and have a few kids over and we played games and had cake and ice cream..Thats about all there was to do back then.My grand kids however go to chucky cheese and they always go all out for their birthdays....
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
17 Nov 07
It seems that it's the grandkids now who want to go to chuck E Cheese and places like that. I think it has a lot to do with what other kids are doing.
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
17 Nov 07
Ah! Those were the days, ctry. I never baked cakes for my kids, but reserved them at the local bakery when one of their birthdays was coming up. Since they were all girls I tended to stay with the popular theme of the time, the ballerina. I would have their cakes all decked out with tiny ballerinas, candles, and a Happy Birthday to them. I was afraid to venture from the norm because they were always comparing who got what, LOL. It did get a bit more interesting once the grandkids started coming.
1 person likes this
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
17 Nov 07
Yes, those were the days weren't they! It is getting very interesting now with the grandkids and I'm almost afraid to see what's coming up next!! lol...
@emarie (5442)
• United States
17 Nov 07
my family its a big thing to make the 1st birthday a big one. So for both my children we few down to hawaii to have their 1st birthday party there since both our family lived there. Oh my...how stressful that was. Ever since then, I just have a small family get together...take them out to Chuck-E-Cheese or where ever they want to go and go home to open gifts and eat cake. Simple. But now since my son is in school, I'm thinking he'll probably want big party with all his new friends....oh...i can't wait.
1 person likes this
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
17 Nov 07
That first party is always the fun one just make sure you have a LOT of Tylenol handy and lots of trash bags for when it's over!!!
@jennybianca (12912)
• Australia
17 Nov 07
When my kids were very young, I had birthday parties at Hungry Jacks or McDonalds. They have this deal... $7.00 per child for food, party bags & games. It's quite good & easier than handling lots of little kiddies myself.
For a good many years now, I have had mall birthday parties at home. The numbers range from 6 to 13 kids.
It's fairly easy. I have lots of food, which maybe bbq, sausage rolls, pizza, cakes, etc. My daughter organises her own games which always include a pinyata.
Usually from one to three kids stay overnight at these home parties.
@rouwel23 (1353)
• Philippines
17 Nov 07
sometimes I take my kids out, sometimes I held a party at home. It all depends on the availability of the resources and the circumstances before the upcoming party.
if you take them out you do not have the hassle to prepare the party yourselves but you do have limited time. at your own home you have the luxury of time but there could be a lot of mess left after the party.
anyway both have advantages and disadvantages.
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
17 Nov 07
The best part to me is the preparation and the clean up!
@laurika (4532)
• United States
17 Nov 07
I don't have a kid yet, but hope you don't mind if I would share my opinion. when i was a kid we didn't have all those places like Mc donald, so i would have a party at home. My mum would make some snacks and cake and I would invite a friends.And I have so much fun all the time.
About one month ago I was in shopping center and me and my hubby was hungry so we get to this big place where was all kinda fast food stores, like subway, burger king...so we eat and then hear to song Happy birthday...we turn around and see a kid having just his birthday and I was thinking is this the right place to celebrate his birthday? I don't think so. I think they can much more enjoy it at home.
@ctrymuziklvr (11057)
• United States
17 Nov 07
Even though you don't have kids yet is no reason not to respond. You do have your opinions and the reason for this discussions is to hear others opinions. I agree a party at home is better but the kids want to have the parties in public "fun" places these days so what's a parent to do...lol...
@4monsters4me (2569)
• United States
17 Nov 07
We don't have big parties for our kids, period. We take them out to eat on their birthday and I make them a cake but that is it. I might put up some streamers if I have the money but otherwise we don't have decorations. I used to get the themed plates and napkins and cups just to have but I can't afford that anymore.
They usually don't have friends over, except my oldest because her best friend lives next door and her birthday is the day before my daughter's. We celebrate with just us and my kids don't seem to care.
They have never been to Chuck E Cheese. My friend gave me $30 worth of gift cards last Christmas but I still haven't taken them because I hate crowds and I remember how it used to be when I was a kid.
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
17 Nov 07
When I was young my mom would bake a cake and the family would have a great dinner at home. But by the time I was in my teens, the thing we did was go out to dinner and We would get a store bought cake. By that time, my mom wasn't upset that she didn't have to make a cake. In fact she was happy that she didn't have to bake a cake.
1 person likes this
@maddysmommy (16230)
• United States
19 Nov 07
For some reason, I have always had my sons birthdays at various children's places - not sure why but its always ended up that way. The first two birthdays was a Macdonalds because that was the only take-out place in Samoa that did birthdays, and then his 3rd and 4th birthdays were in New Zealand at two different places and then this year I took him to Chucky cheese. Since our apartment isn't that big it will most probably be at another place next year.
