Everyone wants to and should be celebrated – no matter their age – and kids are suckers for birthday parties. Each year they can’t wait to make it to the next age. Ask my son how old he is and he’ll say “five and a half” with a big smile that doubles as a badge of honor. So of course, we as parents want to give our kids the opportunity to feel special and loved. Birthdays are a big deal and it’s always nice to celebrate something happy.
Pool parties, park parties, skatepark parties, movie theater parties – even goat happy hour at the local stables are how Eagle County kids roll. Until winter comes around and everyone throws a party at the local rec center to avoid the snow. Two hours of jumping on trampolines, cake or cupcakes, and you’re out of there. But nothing is ever that simple.
Sometimes these parties are great – a big playdate with all the friends and something fun to do on the weekend. But when the parties stack up it can turn into more of a circuit than a celebration. That’s where the double-edged sword of it all comes in. Do you want to plan your Saturday and/or Sunday around a kid’s birthday party? If your child is close with the birthday boy or girl and you and the parents are friends it’s awesome – the perfect reason to get everyone together. What’s tough is when the kids are friends but the parents and other attendees are not your favorite. That’s when it gets tricky. Next thing you know you’re suffering through two hours of small talk and cupcakes when you could be doing something outside with people you actually want to spend time with.
Over the weekend I took Fleet to two very different birthday parties. The first was a movie theater party with a huge yet very fun group of people. The mom of the birthday girl has become a close friend and her daughter is amazing. The only drawback was 90 minutes of screen time in the middle of the day and a lot of junk food. Otherwise, we all had a blast. After that party ended, Fleet and I hurried to our car to make it to the next event – goat happy hour. Yes, you read that right. While the venue’s “relaxed vibe and beer garden” attracts tourists, and kids can’t resist the baby goats (whose stomachs are bulging because all they do is beg for treats which people pay to give them), as a local it felt like a place where booze is the priority and animals are not. But I digress. Yesterday was a beautiful fall day and it was still an annoying party. Why? Because kid birthday parties are just like anything else – it’s all about the people. While the hosting parent is a good friend, and it was nice seeing a few other friends I hadn’t seen in a while, it’s hard to ignore the small talk people or the people who you just blatantly don’t want to see.
After about an hour it was time to go – mostly because I didn’t want Fleet to fall asleep in the car during the 20-minute drive home! Any parent knows what a nightmare that can turn into – especially at 4 p.m. Thankfully, I was able to keep him awake and get him fed as soon as we got home. We did some spelling practice (his idea not mine which was a pleasant surprise), I gave him a nice long bath, read some books, and he was asleep by 8 p.m. After putting him to bed I was thrilled to put my feet up, pet Zephyr, drink some wine, eat dinner, turn on the TV, and not talk to anyone. To say my social battery was done for the day was an understatement.
So the question is this: Are birthday parties worth it? The answer is: Usually. Although you can’t control the guest list, and staying away from the cupcakes is hard, it’s always about the people. Lucky for us, we have incredible friends who make us laugh, are a joy to be around, are the type of humans we can talk to about anything, and who make the small talk seem like a distant memory.
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