Are birthday parties now a bad thing….
Hi everyone! I’ve been wondering—have kids’ birthday parties changed?
I have three kids: two older boys, a 32-year-old and a 22-year-old, and my daughter, who just turned nine. Since she had never had a real birthday party before, we decided it was time to throw one for her. I sent out the invitations almost a month in advance, thinking that would give everyone plenty of time to plan.
My daughter wanted to invite some girls from her class, so she invited five. One girl told her she wasn’t allowed to go to birthday parties. Another girl’s mother RSVP’d and said she would attend. As for the other three, we never heard anything back.
Feeling a little nervous about attendance, I reached out to a friend who has a niece and asked if he could bring her. He agreed, which was a relief. My daughter also wanted to invite our old neighbors, so I reached out to them, and they said they would come.
In the end, out of all the invitations she sent, only three kids attended my daughter’s party. In the invitation, I mentioned that parents were welcome to stay or drop their child off. We hosted the party at a rec center, which had a party room and swimming. We served pizza and cake, and the kids got to swim for a couple of hours.
I used to throw birthday parties for my sons every year. We’d rent a bounce house, play games, serve food and cake—it was never a question of whether kids would show up. There were always so many! I remember one of the first parties I threw for my son when he was in daycare—I invited his entire class, and every single child came, even the teacher!
So, what’s changed? Is it COVID that made people hesitant to go out? Should I have specified on the invitation that presents weren’t necessary? Are birthday parties just not as popular anymore?
I understand that families with lots of cousins and relatives probably have built-in party guests, but I don’t come from a large family, so that’s not the case for us. One thing’s for sure—if my daughter ever gets invited to a birthday party, she’ll be there!
To all the parents of school-aged kids, what are your thoughts? Have birthday parties changed? I’d love to hear your feedback!
