I'm about to share probably a very unpopular opinion, but here goes. I hate birthday parties. Don't get me wrong, I love coming to YOUR birthday. I love celebrating you. But for me and my kids, I just can't do it. We've done a variety of different birthday parties for Bo in the past- a typical 1st Birthday party with family, a 2nd Birthday Party at MyGym with all sorts of friends and family, and then a 3rd Birthday party bowling. When it came to this year, Bo talked about going to Chuck E Cheese with a long list of friends for months before his birthday. To be honest, this sounds like my nightmare. I love all of Bo's friends and their parents. But I cannot manage or enjoy myself while at my children's birthday parties. And maybe this is a little selfish, but I want to have fun with my kid. I don't want to be running around and cleaning up the whole two hours. Other moms can be a hostess and throw a kids' party. I cannot. There is a special kind of mom that loves throwing birthday parties. It is not me. I love my friends that can. I will be your Birthday Party wing person- cutting cake or passing out pizza.
So instead of throwing a birthday party, we're going to do experiences. This year, we chose to go to a water park in Lake Geneva. We rounded up some friends that were available and headed north. I brought some decorations that I quickly made with leftover teacher supplies. (Only handmade because I realized that Bo would want some sort of pomp and circumstance and I was too late to go buy something) We swam and ate and swam some more. It was a beautiful and memorable time.
Did Bo tell me that he wishes we went to Chuck E Cheese? He did not. Not one word I put my head down on Saturday night and I was happy. I wasn't tired or emotionally drained or felt like I missed out on the whole party. Honestly, I almost threw him the Chuck E Cheese party of his dreams. It would have been great. I promise you that. He would have loved it and talked about it for future weeks. And maybe he'll have one next year. But here's what I do know about this Birthday Experiences.
1. Everyone got to participate. Literally every member of our family had a seriously good time. I think Elliott had the best time of all. Bobby and I both got to go down a million water slides and also have time to have fun with our friends. That's a win if I've ever heard it.
2. Pressure was taken off of that 2 hours. I don't know about you all, but when I've had birthday parties we've had to have everything scheduled- when to do cake, when do activities, when to do cake. Sometimes we've felt like we're at a birthday factory. Since we were there for 2 days, everyone was able to do what they wanted. Want to take a nap- Do it. Hungry for a snack- Let's Get Your One. We didn't even sing Happy Birthday because Bo didn't ask for it.
3. It was less money. Okay, here me out. If you plan all of this out ahead of time, you can get a great hotel deal or water park deal. Right now, Great Wolf Lodge is running deals for $99. When was the last time you threw a birthday party for $99? Buy some dinner and booze for your friends that come with you. Nobody expected a goody bag or a cupcake or anything extra. Less S for you to bring home.
Here are some ideas for Birthday Experiences instead of Birthday Parties
- Super Fun Birthday Dinner (I'm talking Rain Forest Cafe or American Girl Doll)
- Movies with Small Group of Friends
- Overnight at a Hotel
- Lego Land
- Amusement Park
- Water Park
But here's the deal with birthday parties. There is so much pressure and expectations to do them. I'm here to tell you to do you. If you want the party, do it. If you don't want the party, do that too. You have to do what is best for you and your kids and your checkbook. Nobody wants you to do something that doesn't make you happy. Even your kids. Bo really wanted that Chuck E Cheese Party, I knew I couldn't handle it, so I didn't do it. He hasn't said one word since. We put so much pressure on ourselves about to throw the perfect party that will be the most memorable day. I'm here to tell you to take the pressure off. You and your kids deserve to have a happy mom rather than some shell of a person. So next time, you feel the need to throw a birthday party, remind yourself that you can say no. If you need an extra reminder, call me and I will pour you a glass of wine.
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