Kid's Birthday party Vent UPDATE pg 3

[AussieSharon]

Quote:
RSVP is an abbreviation for Répondez s'il vous plaît. It's French and basically translates to "please respond" or "respond if you will"

I just got home and had a message from a Mom. Her child can't make it as they play sports that day. So right now of 28 invitations I have

1 yes
2 no
25 no response.

I LOVE KIDS BIRTHDAY PARTIES!!

 

[horsejody]

My kids are grown so I don't have to worry about it anymore. I used to limit the number of kids that could be invited. No way would I take 28 little monsters...err.. I mean little darlings....to Chucky Cheese's. My own little darling pulled quite a stunt for his 5th birthday. I told him that he could invite about 9 kids. We filled out 9 invitations that he hand delivered on the playground during kindergarten recess. The next day he told me that the kids needed maps to get to the house. I made 9 maps with the date for the party at the top. My little monster (I mean darling) passed the maps out to 9 different kids. That was his way of clandestinely inviting 18 instead of 9. They all showed up. I was fine with that. What I wasn't fine with was the woman that came to my door with about 8 kids. One was invited, and there were two siblings and the rest were cousins. She actually got mad at me when I told her that she couldn't leave them all. She told me that I was being rude because it's not fair to not invite all of the kids and the cousins were visiting for the day. Some of them weren't even close in age to my son! I told her that it was much ruder of her to expect me to entertain that many extra kids. She and left in a huff and took all of the kids with her.

When my kids had parties at places that needed reservations like the sking rink or bowling alley, I would always have to call parents to see who was coming. Quite often the people expect their kids to tell your kid that they are coming and Mom and Dad don't get the information.

 

[Pepperwolfe]

Okay I'm going to say it. I hate Birthday Parties. Hate them Hate them Hate them. I'm 37 and have had two in my own life. That's good enough for me.
However my Dear Darling Daughter is now 10 and has had one every single year except one since she was a year old. Her birthday falls right before Thanksgiving so at Halloween I'm stressing the whole party mess. The theme, where to have it, (not at our house. Too many ill people at one time or another) who to invite, etc etc.
One year I did call to find out if some of the kids were coming and one of the Mom was rather rude to me "I thought by not calling you would know we would not be coming"
I've tried to get out of this but my ex and his family push for it. So some years I tell them to take care of it.
This year I reserved for a local indoor mini golf party and two weeks before the party they called and said they were closing so I ran around the next day and got it set up at a bowling lane.
After all the trouble it did turn up to be a nice party and my ex in laws paid for the party as a nice surprise.
My ex sister in law also found out when I turn 40. Everyone remind me to hide in 2011.

 

[breconbcs]

Welcome to throwing "big kids" parties.

It has to be one of the most fustrating things. Half the time it's not the kids but their parents. I always plan for the kids to show just incase. Alot of parents use the party as a temporary babysitter and some do it last minute. The kids use to like throwing large parties, but then only a handful of kids would show so we started last year with invite x number of friends and we'll do a sleep over. So my ds invited his closest friends (6 boys, all 6 showed, 2 didn't call, 2 sent a "yes with their kids to school so I put a question on them, and 2 called me to let me know -they were also his 2 best friends' parents). My dd on the other hand, invites 6 and I hear from 2, 3 were saying they were coming and 1 wasn't. Okay that still works. Three days before the party a girl she doesn't get along with decides she has to have her party that week and bribes the kids (telling them what they will get etc.) to go so 2 of the word of mouth kids go there. Day of the party only 2 kids showed - the ones that called, and one wanted to be at the other party but her parents made her come since she was already committed. DD was hurt but we pulled it off and she and her two friends had a great time and the one girl said she was glad she had come to our house instead. They went back to school and told everyone about the party. Turns out the other girl's party wasn't as fun and she didn't come through with what she'd bribed with. The two girls left here with lots of stuff seeing as it was just them.

 

[TriciaHowe]

With 4 kids I totally don't do kids bday parties anymore. We take them out to dinner with the family and get them a nice gift(s). Every year my oldest (10) gets RedLobster and she gets a whole lobster to herself.

They do invite the neighbor kids over - 2 sweet girls - and they have cake and ice cream with us. I hate playing the how many are coming guessing game so we just don't. I never had "big" birthday parties growing up and I turned out ok

 

[ams3651]

Last year I had a 5 year birthday party for my youngest, invited all his class mates etc. Not one reply, I had a party planned for 15 kids and had to cancel the cake etc. 2 days before someone called and I told them there was no party. I dont put the location on the invitations, that way they have to call you if they are comming, no surprises.

 

[mullers3acers]

Nobody rsvp's anymore. My dh moved a barn from one property to ours and we had a barn raising party invited about one hundred fifty people had about 30 rsvp. Our oldest daughter graduated in 2008 and invited about the same amount of people and got about the same response. we had about 125 people for each party.

Common curtisy is not a vertue any longer.

 

[kees]

I've experienced the same thing. One time the invitations were sent via snail mail; the other time by phone. Each time there were a number of parents who told me that they would get back to me because they didn't know if they were doing something important that weekend? Days would pass, and as it was getting closer to the event, I then called parents to see if their children were attending. The two "responses" that stick out in my mind were:

a) Invitation sent out. No response. Called house and left message. Waited a couple of days. Called and spoke to husband who stated that wife was out walking the baby and would return my call. No return call. I called the next and left a voicemail message. No response. The child can be the nicest one in the world, but unfortunately, won't be invited to future parties.

b) Invitation by phone. Received a call from mother a few days later that she was a very busy parent and that her three kids always receive party invitations and have several after school activities. Each child is allowed to attend activities and parties a week; the following week is another child's turn, etc.

I can't figure out when it became okay to forget one's manners.

Suzy

 

[country freedom]

My rule is this, if you are a child and you are rude to me, you gaurantee yourself no chance to one of my children's parties. My house, my rule. I do not reward being rude to an adult with an invitation to a party. If I do not know you before the party, you will not be invited.
Sorry, I need to know you before I invite you. I've dealt with rude children twice at the only two parties I had for my youngest DD......the first, they (rude children) got over on me. Second, I got them back as they weren't invited. They got turned away at my front door.

My entire steet has an over-abundance af children of all ages, and whenever there is a birthday party for any child(ren), all of the children living on my street + whomever else is visiting will show up and none are turned away. Quite a few of these children are rude, so, at my house, my rule applies. Most people brush the rudeness aside because it's a party, including my family, but I do not. If any of my children were ever rude (I know 3 could), and they were turned away for that reason, I'd tell them to suffer the consequences of being rude.

I live on a limited budget and can only afford a small amount for a party, so if you are invited to a party at my house, your parents will know the day ahead, and you will know (children can't keep secrets) the day of the party. I will know who can/can't show up. I let each parent know that if their child can't make the party, please don't suddenly show up as the child will be turned way at the door, since I will only have enough food for whomever told me they were going to be there.

 

[AussieSharon]

Well I survived 4 hours at Chuck E Cheese. I deserve a medal just for that.

We had a total of 10 kids show up. 8 from my son's class. Everyone who responded showed and I had no extras turn up unannounced.

Turns out 2 other kids in his class were having Birthday's on the same day ( I found out from a Mom who's son was invited to all 3 parties )

All in all it turned out well on the day and the kids and parents had a great time. But holy cow the stress of trying to plan and not over or underbook left me with grey hairs.

Yes you guessed it, my little guy told me on the way home after the party that he wants to have EVERY Birthday at Chuck E Cheese, even when he is 100.

My vote for next year, a night away at the Great Wolf Lodge where I can relax too!