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It’s my party
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I agonised for weeks about Erin’s first birthday party. What theme should she have? Should there be party packs for the young guests? But, I needn’t have bothered. My wise friends who are parents of older children were right. The first birthday really is more about the adults than the child. Erin fell asleep shortly before everyone arrived, and spent the first hour of her party in dreamland. When she woke up she was grumpy, sweaty, and loathe to be clothed in the pink party dress I had laid out. The dress went on easily enough, but later, once the obligatory photos had been taken, I could not get the darn thing off. I would rather tackle an extreme kayaking adventure with Rian Manser than attempt to remove a tight garment from a sticky and fractious toddler again. Needless to say, she spent the next half hour screaming her head off.
I made sure “Happy Birthday” was sung and the cake was cut early in the day. Not so much for Erin and her young friends as for the adults, who soon got down to the serious business of enjoying their braai and festivities. Five hours after the party had started, the grown-ups were still celebrating. As the children were packed up for bath and bed time, some of the adult guests got on with a few party games of their own. These included paddle-pool wrestling and pass-the-shooter glass. When 10pm came and the festivities were still underway, I vowed that the next birthday party would be in a controlled environment, such as a designated party venue for children. But I fear we may have set a party precedent – we are already being asked what we’ve got planned for our second baby’s first birthday in April 2013.
I couldn't agree more with you. The adults are more work than seeing to the kids at a party. My son recently turned 2 - I had a 'small' party at home with 12 kids and something like 40 adults - and only 20 of them actually had kids at the party. The kids were all in the pool but it's the adults that need attending to. Like you I have already been asked what we're planning for next year. Either I will plan a holiday away from everyone during that time or have it at a designated party venue with limited adults, thank you very much.