To think this is OTT for a child’s party

Sounds lovely and how great your child could enjoy that.

People spend their money and time on things which to others seem pointless (golf, fancy restaurants, knitting, etc.), you sound pretty negative and spiteful. I’m sure that’s not the case, but it sounds like the ‘mum bitchiness’ people complain about on here which I’ve been lucky enough not to encounter (yet!).

The point you are totally missing op, even though many people pointed this out to you very patiently, is that....and I'll go slowly....

Maybe the parents ENJOY creating stuff. It's their downtime, their hobby.

You keep banging on about whether a 4 year old notices or not, which is rather obviously, not a whole lot, but some.

If it is something they really enjoy doing then how is it a waste of time? I have no idea what hobbies and interests you have, but there is a fair chance that if you gave some examples of things you enjoy spending time doing, other people would say "Huh, why on earth would anyone want to faff about doing that?"

Basically, you do you, etc.....

Sounds ace to me!

It sounds wonderful! I admire people who are crafty and can make decorations that actually look like the thing they are intended to be. It doesn't matter if the kids don't remember or appreciate the effort, if the parent enjoyed making decorations and planning a fun party then good for them! They are making memories too.

Not everything is a competition OP.

It's excessive but seems the norm these days

She didn't do it to make you feel inadequate - perhaps you need to think why you've had such an ott reaction to it.

Kind of hope someone in your school sees this and you stop getting invited tbh, your post is so mean spirited 😕 it’s not a good look on you

Sounds like it simply made you feel a bit insecure. That's a you problem, not them.

What do you waste your time on @TheFluentGoldNewt ?

I think we all tend to assume that other parents are going all the things that we do, AND the extra thing that makes them stand out. So it triggers our insecurities. I was an OTT party crafter too when my dc were small and my house was absolutely hanging! I just desperately needed projects and creativity because I was drowning in endless drudgery,

it backfires though because it’s really off putting to other dps and a fast way to lose friends at the school gate.

I did this sort of thing when my children were little. I am good at it, and it made us happy. As far as I know, none of my children's friends or their parents felt the need to sneer at my efforts. Maybe they did. I can't say I give a dry fuck, tbh 🤷🏻‍♀️

And any of this is your problem, why?

I’d just be grateful to the hosts that my child was invited to the party. It seems unkind to judge them or look down on it by saying they ‘wasted their time’ as they clearly wanted to make the party decor from scratch and that’s up to them.

At least it wasn't Diddy themed.

What has it got to do with you?

You sound jealous

Did you attend the party and think to yourself ‘Mm, i reckon this will be a good post on mumsnet’

😳

I can be quite cynical - and also quite low-effort - but this is really mean-spirited! There’s not some kind of race to the bottom for how little effort you can get away with going to for your children. Nor is there a race to the top. Do you realise that the fact that the parents have done this offers no indication whatsoever of how clever they are, how wealthy they are (aside from the fact they can afford any kind of party), how ‘in touch’ they are, or how much they love their child?

It is likely arts and crafts is their hobby, or a friend/relative’s hobby. If they want to do that in their spare time then I can imagine imagine I would be congratulating them rather than making a post on MN about them, even if it is now thinly veiled as being a compliment

It's very telling that that you're saying the parents are "wasting their time" making these decorations for their child.

I went to a couple of brilliant parties (2nd and 3rd birthdays) this weekend where it was clear the parents had put in a lot of thought and effort.

i personally don’t do parties until mine are 4 years old and can actually name some friends they want to attend.

I thought you said it was jungle themed?

Was it jungle or underwater? I don't get the theme, but if they enjoyed doing it then great.

That sounds lovely! I hope everyone had a lovely time

I’m literally sat here right now making pom Pom and tassel bunting with leftover yarn from various knitting projects to decorate the village hall I hired for my 4 year old birthday party.
I enjoy doing it and I would much rather make things myself with materials I have at home than buy something from a shop. I’ll reuse them afterwards.
I also plan to paint a welcome sign and do a fun space themed backdrop with planets. My daughter likes to join in and help and I think it’s important for her to see her mum being creative. I work in a creative job and all my hobbies are creative.

Am I…out of touch?