Kid's Birthday party Vent UPDATE pg 3

[AussieSharon]

My son turns 6 this month and is having his first "big kid" Birthday Party. We spent hours ( literally ) with him wanting to write out his list, write his name and the child's name on the invitations and envelope. You know how fast a Kindergardener writes.

So anyway, he sends out 28 invitations the beginning of last week. So far we have had one response. The party is for the 28th so I still have some time to plan. Is this normal?

I have no idea if I'm going to have no kids show up or 28. When my kids get an invitation to a party I always RSVP within 3 days.

 

[Highlander]

Yup, perfectly normal. Expect a few panicky phone calls the night before the party. Also expect people to turn up who never replied and if you are doing party bags do some extras for all the brothers and sisters that you never invited that will show up too!

Have fun!

 

[Dar]

we had that too and then all of a sudden the day before we would get the rsvp....and the day of we got kids coming that never rsvp'd...I was stuck in a panic thank goodness DH was home to help me cause he had to run out to the grocery store and buy a plain chocolate cake and more snacks...we just had pizza for the food part so that was not hard...

after that happened for a bit with all 3 of my kids I stopped with the big birthday partys...we go do something special for their birthday (they really dont need all the toys that they get anyway)

for my sons birthday we went to a television studio he was on TV (the morning host shared the same birthdate) so there was cake there...then we went to his fave radio station and he got to meet the morning crew and go on air.had a nice lunch.....then we went to the CN Tower in Toronto and went to the glass floor..then came home....(ds is 12)

 

[Run-A-Muck Ranch]

When we have the girls parties we usually put an RSVP on there, and that always seems to be the date that the familys call and say wether or not their kid was coming....
We have invited the whole grade at times and that could be 60 kids at different times, we've never had that many, but it's hair raising when you don't know....
I always plan for more, that usually covers the ones whose parents forget to RSVP....lol

 

[AussieSharon]

I did put an RSVP date on for this Thrusday. I also forgot to mention the party is at Chuck E Cheese. So I really need an idea of head count, if you have too many no shows you have to pay for them anyway and boy is that expensive.

I might be eating a lot of pizza and playing a lot of games.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

I am with the others!

I assume everyone invited is going to show regardless of RSVPs and throw in some extra goody bags for uninvited siblings and once even a neighbor of the invited kid!

The worst was when I had the part on a train a caboose - it was great pary except people did not get the idea that the train LEFT the station! I wrote it on the invite and I told everyone I spoke to that the train would leave and they needed to be on time! But, no one mother was late issed the train and then when we got back YELLED AT ME! for letting the train leave without her daughter!! It's a train!!!

(I also personally think Chuckie Cheese is the 8th level of hell, but that's just me

The rat once patted my butt at my niece's party!)

This year we are letting the girl's each invite two friends to go out to dinner and a movie and then sleep over. I'll let you know which is more painful!!

 

[Shared Acres]

Did you mail them or did he give them to the kids?

Maybe the kids didn't give them to the parents?

 

[HennysMom]

been there done that several times - and had it work out both ways where everyone in the class showed up (yet only 3 replied) and then... had 15 people RSVP'd and only 4 showed up.

I did theme parties at our house (Harry Potter and Pirates of the Carribbean) where I converted our entire house into Hogwarts or the Pirates scenarios. Makes for a nervous mom when you have an entire house decorated and not knowing if any kids are coming.

Last year - being new and moving out here to the country - we did a party invited all the kids from his class and NO ONE bothered to reply to my sons invites - he was devastated (as was I for him) - so I canceled it and made other plans. The day before the party 3 boys in his class told him they were coming (after we already canceled it) and he said "sorry, my family's taking me out for my special day, you should have responded". - we took him out for dinner and bowling ourselves and he had a great time.

Seems they dont "do" birthday parties out here in the country like they did in the suburbs

 

[AussieSharon]

Henny we've very close to each other. It seems to be the normal thing around here. I was just speaking to a Mum and she said her son invited his entire Kinder class plus a couple of extras. She said she thinks it was 28 kids also. She told me I was the only one to RSVP in a timely manner.

Her son ended up with 8 kids at his party. 1 never responded and she didn't know was coming, the others called the night before! Yep, she pulled her hair out too.

Previously we have had a family night at Great Wolf Lodge instead of a party, I am honestly thinking after this party we will go back to doing that.

 

[lizardz]

Well, thankfully, with a 17 yo, I'm past those times, but yes, had the same problem with no one RSVPing. I would wait a day or two after the RSVP date and then call the parents to see if their child was coming - usually got the nervous laugh and "I'm so bad at RSVPing". Anyway, I would call parents - it's a pain, but that way you know who's coming and the kids don't have to pay for their parents' stupidity.
Hope it's a great party,
Liz