The Perfect Birthday Party

Is it safe to say that weddings, oops I mean children’s birthday parties, have gotten out of hand?!

This is a topic that has been blogged to death. But really people, despite the social media outcry things haven’t changed.

Today, 6 months and 3 weeks before my daughters birthday, she casually mentioned to me that she would like to rent out a restaurant or the entire Great Wolf Lodge complex for her party. She suggested that I may need to contact the facility so that I could secure our reservation.

Get it together!!! What is going on?!!

Let us transport ourselves to the imaginary place depicted in Stranger Things. No not the Upside Down, but that other land– the one that has a super cool, brightly colored mall. Just imagine– kids on bikes, fending for themselves, playing board games….. Wait one minute! That seems so familiar- maybe I should look back into the deep, dark recesses of my own memories!!!

Back then the best part of a birthday party was hanging out with your friends. Back in those dinosaur ages we couldn’t wait to watch our buds open their presents. Back then the party was about the child whose birthday it was– not the party itself. A cake, a bubble machine and a slip and slide. What. Could. Be. Better. Well, obviously a roller skating party or Chuck E. Cheese.

But, don’t ever forget that the person you are today came from those cheap-ass experiences. And in those came grit, adventure and imagination. Oh and did I mention we also had Madonna, Guns and Roses and……. Milli Vanilli!!!!! Please, need I say more.

Ok if we all like to spoil our kids– Can we at least get the present opening part back into our parties?! Alright, peace out. I have to mark the calendar to call the new Encore Casino to book an 11 year olds birthday party. Because if we aren’t going big, we are going home.