Why not fly them all to Disney World?
I know we’re in trouble when we need a website campaign to educate parents about hosting less extravagant birthday parties for kids.
Don’t get me wrong: parent education is a marvelous thing. ECFE classes helped me survive the early years with my kids. I attended a fantastic presentation on Cyber Safety from the Teen Central librarian at the Minneapolis Public Library. My bookshelf includes Touchpoints, The Preschool Years, and Dr. Spock.
The difference here is that I was learning from someone who knew more on the subject than I did: parents with older children, educated professionals, and researchers.
But do I really need someone to tell me that spending $450 for a Build-A-Bear Workshop party is “extravagant”? That kids will enjoy a walk around the lake and ice cream just as much as a limo ride? That 60 guests and 60 gifts for a one-year-old’s party might be a bit much for the birthday girl?
Corporate marketers would have a much tougher time if we would simply reclaim our children. This takes time and energy. But no money.
January 23rd, 2007 at 7:06 pm
Here, here! Even though we’ve limited gift-giving to our children over the years, our kids still manage to have everything they need & want and then some. Typical birthday parties for us include cupcakes and ice cream with family members, maybe a sleepover for their friends. The most extravagant birthday party we had was a pool party at a local hotel. The kids had fun, but no more fun than at any other party.