The cost and range of children’s birthday parties has spiraled out of control,
according to one group of U.S. parents and educators who have joined forces, Belinda Goldsmith reports. The St. Paul, Minn. group launched Birthdays Without Pressure to organize parents behind alternatives to $25,000 parties for, say, toddlers. They’ve also set out a ”vision to launch a local and national conversation” about the problem.
Do you think children’s birthday parties have gone too far?
Comment below.
(Photo/REUTERS: Actress Esther Williams poses with a cake shaped as the Hollywood sign, celebrating the 80th birthday of the sign in Hollywood in this November 6, 2003 file photograph)
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It’s their money, let them spend it how they want. Will this spoil a child? Seriously doubt a toddler would know the difference.
- Posted by meow220031The issue is the child. Will the child grow to expect ever more lavish parties? Will the child gain a larger sense of entitlement? Will the child feel truly superior to a kindergarten or elementary-school classmate who does not have a thematic, lavish party?
Unfortunately, in my opinion, the parents (probably the mother more often than the father) would say yes-yes-yes to the above questions and NOT feel bad about it. Indeed, these lavish party throwers expect and demand that their children will have the best parties, do have a sense of entitlement, and are superior to their lesser classmates.
There is probably a high correlation between children receiving lavish parties and going to exclusive, private schools, parents hoping to segregate their children from “lesser people.”
The $25,000 party is only a millionaire’s game. I’d also include in this discussion much smaller parties — say “just” a few hundred dollars. Anyhthing that subjectively seems to be “far superior” to an “average” party.
What party is required to simply make the child happy. McDonald’s party? Pizza at Chuck-e-Cheese? Home party with homemade cake, ice cream, confetti, a pinata full of candy, donkey tail, musical chairs, and a few peers running around yelling, laughing, and having a great time? These are the parties most children would truly enjoy.
Who shoud be invited? Only children whom the child knows — classmates, neighbors, all the class of the same sex, or all the class, etc.
As an exception, though, we do need to consider those unfortunate billionaires who have limitless money for their children’s birthdays. What to do, what to do? Well, I’d suggest the same group of children (child’s peers, etc.). But if the billionaire wants to take these few children on a chartered flight to Disneyland and have Mickey Mouse personally shake hands with each of the little ones, that’s their right.
Bottom line: Don’t teach the kid to be a social biggot!
- Posted by Charles NethawayThis is Global Party Warming!!!!
ALGORE
- Posted by KellyPatty Eckel “As far as I k now, such wives are a product of the Republican revolution, ”
You are grossely ill informed!
The Hollywood group [majority liberal and democrat] have the trophy wives and spend this outrageous kind of money on their kids.
- Posted by MuldoonThere was an article recently posted on men chosing woves with whom they had a shared interest - the topic involved the end of the “toxic” wife. Generally this type of wife was also a “trophy” wife. As far as I k now, such wives are a product of the “Republican revolution,” trophy referring to the political defeat of liberals (including liberal or moderate Republicans). This “trophy” business implies that conservatives have osme kind of sexual superiority over their political rivals. Well, such people create “trophy babies” too. I think organizations to stop excessive spending (as a culture that many subscribe to apolitically) on children, including those at proms and graduation, is laudable in that “trophy” people are usually “toxic,” a word iimplying at least meanness of spirit. Males, of course, are not trophies in the money culture wars, but “catches” according to the “trophies.” So, yes, let us stop destroying a babie’s character, let us stop using babies as political weapons. I suspect, in a way, that the touted “Asperger’s Syndrome” is in many ways an infant’s refusal to be treated as an extension of its mother’s political views. It is a natural reaction of loathing to be brought up “trophy” and a refusal to be “toxic,” an infant who insists on love or at least wholesomeness of spirit.
- Posted by Patty EckelI have a simple answer for you: Mind your own business. People that are spending $25,000 on a child’s birthday party are well aware of what else they could be doing with the same amount of money. They simply do not care. It is their money. As a previous poster has said, $25,000 is not alot of money to some people. As another poster said, there are people in the world that are mad other people spend $1 on a song when that same $1 could feed their family for a day. Maybe we should start the Spend Your Money How We Say Organization. Give it up people, don’t you have anything better to do than judge and criticize other people for how they spend their money? Like perhaps judging and criticizing the government for how it’s wasting your money. Did you know the President of the US makes $400,000 a year simply for making bad policy choices and killing our men and women in Iraq? No one is complaining about that excessive waste of money that comes out of all of our pockets, but you can sit here and actually care that someone is spending $25,000 of their own money for something they want? And if that is so, why is no one complaining about the million bucks that Jay Z spent on a car? I don’t care how others spend their own money, but I am tired of getting screwed by a government that is misspending all of our money. That should be the real topic of discussion nationally.
- Posted by JessicaYikes
74 comments prior to mine, 75 counting mine. A lot of excitement over such foolishness.
25 grand for a party. Seems extreme whether one can afford it or not.
Comments on spoiling our children abound. But this excessive spending falls in line with other excesses, so the conclusion is logical that these kids will grow up expecting the world.
It is mind boggling that these same people set up a group to control this perceived problem. Laughable really.
- Posted by StuartWas this Nick Saban throwing the party?
- Posted by SSW