Tardy to the Party

Somewhere in all those child rearing books, someone needs to write a chapter about birthday parties. More specifically, how many birthday party obligations you will have once you have a young child and all the stupidity that goes along with it.

I can't even count on two hands how many birthday parties we have been to this year alone. Obviously, we are blessed to have a good circle of friends and stuff but man, add in pre-school and I swear there are several birthday parties every month.

First off, this gets expensive. I don't mind spending the moola on kids I know and like but for kids I don't even know? That money could buy me something good, like a latte or a mocha a couple days this week. Oh, and double my complaints when I don't like the parents. Generally, my kid likes everyone. Well, he likes birthday parties anyway... My girlfriend, Trophy Wife, just received an evite to the birthday party of a kid in her son's class. At the bottom of the evite, the parent had put a LIST of gifts the child wanted. Seriously? And not like, "Oh, little Bobby likes Cars." Nope, but instead, very specific toys and book titles. Guess what kid? You're getting a cheap ass toy from the Dollar Spot at Target! Just to stick it to your crazy ass mother. I could see if this evite was going to Grandma or something but it was just an evite for his preschool classmates. Are you kidding me? Let's all say it together: TACKY. (Disclaimer: if you do this, I still think it's tacky as hell. Also? Don't do this.)

My kid is four. We've been to parties that have petting zoos and pony rides, a party on a train and even a rented out movie theatre. (Props to Confessions of a Shopaholic and Confetti Queen for those, btw.) Hell, we had our kid's party at a jumpy house place last year and I almost died writing that check. I am still trying to figure out if it was worth me not having to cook and clean the house. Hubby says definitely yes, I am on the fence.

On to the invites. I recently had coffee with my girlfriend, Mostly Granola Mama, and we were discussing at what point the obligatory invites to birthday parties stop. When your kid is a baby, the party consists mostly of your friends that have kids. But as they get older, do you still invite these people? Especially when your kid is old enough to voice his opinion about who he wants at his party? Or who he doesn't want. Cause really, if you only see those people once a year at each other's birthday parties, is it necessary to keep extending that invite? Oh, and if you're kid is in preschool, the inviting the whole class thing? FOR THE BIRDS. We don't invite the whole class and hope that those that are invited, keep their mouth shut. Confessions of a Shopaholic had a preschool family show up at her son's birthday party because she had 'heard about it' from another parent in the class. Ummm, you weren't invited right? Do you not have anything better to do on a Sunday morning than to go to a four year old's birthday party? I could think of like a million other things I'd rather be doing. Get a life people. Your kid still has a shot at homecoming King even though he wasn't invited to that one preschool birthday party.

Having said all this, I have already bought my kid's birthday party stuff for next June. He is having a pirate party, whether he wants to or not. The pirate party stuff was on clearance at Target. (C'mon, packs of plates for 58 cents? I had to.) I just now have to keep him interested in pirates for the next 8 months, right? See what these people are doing to me? I've fallen into this crazy birthday party maze trap thingy and I can't get out! HELP!