W
hen I was growing up,
birthday parties were
held at home with Pin
The Tail On The Donkey and Musical
Chairs as the standard entertainment,
plus a few other homemade games — if
your parents were particularly creative.
This was followed by singing “Happy
Birthday To You” over cake and ice
cream, blowing out the candles on your
cake to the accompaniment of paper par-
ty blowers, which unfurled and tooted
in your ears. The grand finale was the
opening of gifts, over which everyone
“oohed” and “aahed.” There were no
“goodie bags” that I can recall, just the
prizes awarded to those who won the
games. (Yes, the games were competi-
tive, and there were actually winners and
losers.)
Simple
or
Extravagant,
All A Party Has To
Do Is Make A Child
Feel Special
The latest movie character and his
sidekicks were not emblazoned on the
tablecloth nor the paper plates or bal-
loons — probably because there weren’t
very many “kid movies” around in
those days, and the marketing bonanza
brought on by the multitude of charac-
ters kids are bombarded with today sim-
ply didn’t exist.
Once you got a little older, lunch
might have been added to your birthday
party, before or after some dancing to
music from records playing on the ste-
reo.
Those parties were simple and
probably sound very old-fashioned to
you, but in the 50s and 60s, they were
what made every kid happy. And, when
I think back, the phrase “stressed out”
was never uttered by any mom I knew
in connection with planning a birthday
party.
As I write this, I’m reminded of the
line in the song “The Way We Were,”
from the movie of the same name, that
Don’t just take my word for it. Says
Martha Stewart, “Birthday parties are
like road trips: getting there is half the
fun. Deciding on the theme, decorations,
and activities makes the days leading up
to the event seem like part of the celebra-
tion itself. It needn’t be elaborate — kids
will be happy with a small party as long
as they are made to feel special.”
Now, I’m not suggesting that you
go back to the “dark ages” of the 50s
and 60s, but I do have some suggestions,
gained from decades of party experience
with my own two children, who are now
adults.
The 1st Birthday
— by Michele Miller
says, “Can it be that it was all so simple
then…”
The answer is a resounding YES.
Children were happy, satisfied, and
felt loved with LESS.
Today, birthdays have become ex-
travaganzas. Parents feel pressured to
impress not only their child, but an en-
tire neighborhood or classroom full of
kids. And the pressure increases, year
after year, as you try to top the previous
year’s party theme.
This is where I say STOP, and take
a step back. Reassess your priorities as a
family, financial and otherwise, and re-
alistically assess what would truly make
your child happy on his or her birthday.
If you’ve been hosting extravagan-
zas for years now, it’s hard to return to
a simpler mode of celebrating. But, if
you’re a new parent, remember that the
pattern you set from a young age is what
will form your child’s expectations for
12 WNY Family January 2019
future years. Be forewarned, I’ve heard
too many birthday-weary parents say
that they spent so much time planning
a party and making sure the spectacular
event went well, that they really didn’t
get to enjoy it with their child — and
the whole thing stressed them out to the
max.
This wonderful milestone celebra-
tion is really for the grownups, as your
little one won’t remember it, except by
seeing the photos you take on this spe-
cial day. A one-year-old, wearing a party
hat and a special 1st Birthday Bib, mash-
ing his or her adorable face into a cup-
cake, or grabbing a little fistful of cake,
is a classic shot you just have to catch!
You worked hard having that baby
and getting through the first year as a
new parent, so have fun with personal-
ized invitations and photo props ordered
online, a custom cake, and anything else
that makes MOM and DAD happy —
grandparents, too — for this occasion!
Toddlers & Preschoolers
At this stage of childhood, some
kids thrive on lots of action and oth-
ers are very shy and reluctant to leave
their parent’s side or play games. Too
much celebration can send them into an
overtired crying jag that will break your
heart after all your careful party plan-
ning. Hold a party for this age group in
the morning or after nap time.
Keep your party short and invite
only a small number of guests — the
often-used rule is the age of your child
plus one equals the number of guests
— and be prepared to invite parents to