Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Birthday Parties - RSVP

When Mason was about 4 1/2, we received an invitation to a birthday party. It was for a little girl who had been in his class the previous year, and he had lots of fun with her. I replied to the party that we would be there. I didn't consult Mason on this decision because I made all of the social decisions and arrangements for him up to that point. On the day of the party, he told me that he wasn't going. I won't go into all of the details, but on that day, I realized that he was going to have a say in what he did going forward.

I have lots to say about kids' birthdays, and I won't put it all into one latte. I will say this, it is no fun to take a child to a party that he or she does not want to attend. Having hosted quite a few parties in the last several years, I will also tell you that, while the birthday child would love for you to attend, it's ok to say no to an invitation. You don't even have to give a reason, just "Sorry, we can't make it." Go to the parties that you think your kids will really enjoy, but don't feel obligated to say yes to all of them. Between my three kids, they were invited to more than 20 parties last winter alone. The good news for me this year is that most of Mason's parties will be drop off, and I have no qualms about dropping-off after we hosted a drop-off for 20 kids this summer.

There it is, by request, my latte on birthday parties, it is ok to say no and just go to the ones that really excite your kids. I wonder if I could convince any of my kids to have a party at Starbucks next year?