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Original poster

What's the worst kids party you've been to

414 replies

T181 · 27/05/2022 18:41

Please give me some examples of the worst kids party you've been to?? Im hosting one on Sunday for 25 children and actually am so worried about it I need some real life stories to calm my nerves

OP posts:
JacquelineCarlyle · 27/05/2022 18:42

The worst I went to was one where the entertainer insisted on getting the parents involved. I hated it (although loads of others thought he was great).

I've hosted many parties over the years - the main thing is to relax and just go with the flow. The kids will have a blast just running around and chasing balloons!

PrisonerofZeroCovid · 27/05/2022 18:43

The ones without alcohol. Apart from those, one where we were just in a sort of function room with a way too small bouncy castle as the only entertainment and way too many kids of differing ages for the castle to be safe for me to allow 18 Mo DD on it and it went in for about 3 hours.

SockQueen · 27/05/2022 18:45

Most of the ones I've been to have been fairly similar, no real stand out bad ones.

The "glow in the dark" themed one for 3 year olds was not, perhaps, the best thought-out scheme. It was at a big soft play with multiple options for party rooms - jungle, pirates, football etc, but this one was in a darkened room with UV lighting and fluorescent plates, cups etc. Most of the kids were terrified/confused and the mess they made was even worse than usual.

FoggySpecs · 27/05/2022 18:46

My niece went to a swimming birthday party aged 7 and one of her class mates drowned. That is truly the worst.

RibNSaucyArseCrack · 27/05/2022 18:46

The ones I have to stay at.

FuglyBitch · 27/05/2022 18:47

whole class parties with screaming children and parents have to stay

CuriousCatfish · 27/05/2022 18:48

I've never been to a bad kids birthday party. Some were obviously more expensive than others, but kids parties are all much the same really.

TheProvincialLady · 27/05/2022 18:48

One I attended as a child. The boy’s dad was an alcoholic and the floorboards were bare. His stepmum did her best to give him a party but even though we were very poor (and my own dad was an alcoholic) it was very noticeably sad even to us 9 year olds. There was a bowl of the most evil looking potato salad and a few sandwiches. She had been drinking.

Rest assured your party will be fine.

IncognitoAF · 27/05/2022 18:48

The three-hour long party for a one year where all the kids were given a book to play with...obviously being one they basically all chewed their book 🙄

They were all getting knackered, losing it, falling asleep. It was faaaar too long and dull for babies.

Motnight · 27/05/2022 18:51

One where the mum got pissed in the kitchen with the door shut. Entertainer kept asking me stuff, I was one of the few adults not getting pissed in the kitchen.

The 3 year old birthday girl was miserable and crying. She missed her dad, who had recently left the family home. Dad came in right at the end, and she threw herself on him. It was awful.

Borisblondboufant · 27/05/2022 18:56

The one I went to as a child. She was an only child and parents had gotten a magician (this was a rare thing). He did loads of tricks and said at the start of every one ‘I need an assistant’, and we all put out hands up and then picked the party girl, every single time. It was really fucking boring.

I did a few for DD where the parents wouldn’t fucking leave and then made loads of comments about how I was doing the party games and watched everything. Parents who never did parties for their own kids of course.

Ohjustboreoff · 27/05/2022 18:56

Definitely swimming parties where the children are too young to swim by themselves so the parents have to be in with them. Just NO!

Pollydonia · 27/05/2022 18:57

Mine , aged 10.
Very sleepy all day, not hungry at all, took myself off to bed during the games.
Next day diagnosed with Rubella ( early '80s).
Took half the children at the party down with me 😳

BetterDaysareComming · 27/05/2022 18:57

Some of these are sadSad
The worst party I've ever been to was definitely when the entertainer insisted the parents get up and dance to the Macarena. It was so awkward and cringe!

pizzaand · 27/05/2022 18:58

The one where the birthday child's dad gave the kids on the bouncy castle baseball bats

TheYearOfSmallThings · 27/05/2022 19:02

DS's last birthday party was a bit of a stinker. The first half was soft play, which was great. But then the party area wasn't as promised, the speakers didn't work for music, the food orders were wrong and couldn't be changed because "kitchen's closed". Likewise when the drinks didn't materialise..."kitchen's closed". The kids ran amok while this was going on, escaped from the party area they had unwisely given us (a landing at the top of a grand staircase to the leisure centre atrium) and had a great time bowling a giant inflatable globe down at the people below. Someone got into the party bags, so there were party snaps going off all over the place, and then it turned out I wasn't supposed to use ice fountains AFTER I had lit them.

Anyhoo, I die of shame remembering it but DS is insisting his next party should be there too.

Nutellaspoon · 27/05/2022 19:02

My in-laws like to do kids parties where there is a ear splitting disco, far too loud for children, and just make them run around in a hall for two hours. I had hearing issues for a week after the first one so i now send my DC with ear plugs and have to put up with being called weird as a result.

worriedaboutmoney2022 · 27/05/2022 19:04

I went to one once when my daughter was 4. The parents had hired a function room in a nice pub I just assumed there would be music, games, food etc...

Nope there was nothing
Background music
Chairs round the room
People just sat drinking
No drinks for either kids or parents put on it was all "buy your own at the bar"
No food for kids or parents

I always cater for both and make sure there's a Hot drink and lots of juice etc
Then literally nothing just kids running round
My daughter spent a good hour colouring with stuff I had In my bag and it was horrendous

No food
Then they sang happy birthday and cut the cake and gave the kids a slice of the most revolting cake in a napkin

It was also rammed far too many people there. I'd taken a card and quite a nice gift and I "forgot" to take them out by bag and got a refund on the gift I was so cross.

They are also very well off there was no excuse for it - it was awful

Greensleeves · 27/05/2022 19:05

I've told this story before on MN, but my worst one was when I was 8. The twins next door were much-wanted IVF late babies, and their mother was one of those utterly adoring, ultra-dedicated ubermum women who simultaneously spoilt them rotten materially and was VERY strict on behaviour.

Their 8th birthday party was lavish, for the 80s - lots of games with bought props, and loads of different sorts of balloons everywhere, streamers, special music with their names in it, unbelievable spread of food...fabulous. Until one of the twins got overexcited and was rude to Mum, then the other one started crying because her sister was being told off. They were immediately sent to bed, and the rest of us had to carry on with the party, play the games and eat the food, while the sound of the two birthday girls sobbing inconsolably upstairs just filled the whole house. It was awful, I've never forgotten it!

girlmom21 · 27/05/2022 19:06

We went to one where they told the children Mr Tumble would be attending. The 'Mr Tumble' who turned up was wearing jeans and a T-shirt and a waistcoat made from felt and looked like he'd probably be spending his fee on heroin.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 27/05/2022 19:10

Party in a working mens club. Sunday afternoon. Host family and circle of family and close friends had been drinking all morning. Minimal food. No entertainment bar Pass the Parcel and “disco” - someone put £1 in the duke box from time to time.it was a 4th birthday party. DD was initially told she couldn’t come in because she was in her astronaut outfit and all the other girls were princesses. Unfortunately they relented.DD has refused to wear a skirt or dress since!

LondonQueen · 27/05/2022 19:12

One I stayed at recently, a new boy in DS's class, the mum was extremely drunk, the dad didn't show up and the kids were pretty much left to their own devices. I felt so sorry for the kids.

BusySittingDown · 27/05/2022 19:13

A 4th birthday party of my DD's best friend, at the time. They were inseparable so I had to take her. It was only around the corner at their house and due to her age and crippling shyness she couldn't be left.

They are a lovely family but are not from the UK originally (where we live). All of the guests were from the country that they are from. I didn't know anyone and all of the adults sat around speaking a language that I do not speak, so I couldn't even join in with small talk.

It was raining and was supposed to be a bbq so they were waiting for the sun to come out to do the food. I was just sat by myself while DD played with her little friend.

I made myself stay the length of a usual child's party (2 mind numbing hours) and then made my excuses to leave. Thanked the child's mum and dad for hosting us. His mum seemed baffled that we weren't staying longer as they hadn't done the food yet and the sun was coming out 🤔.

There were no party games or entertainment, the kids were just playing. That was fine - DD was just happy to see her friend but I was so bored.

hidinginthekitchenwithwine · 27/05/2022 19:13

one in a village hall. The Mum worked in theatre and did acting classes and was very bubbly and extravert. The party had no music, very few activities, not enough food and the kids were very bored. It was a bit weird!

AlwaysSometimesNever · 27/05/2022 19:16

Party host mum was having affair with another parent who was not allowed to attend party. I took the kids for them. My toddler needed a poo while we were at the park. Their dog ate it out of the travel potty before I could fish the bag out. Then the party child’s gran fell and split open her head on the front path so when we got back from the park there was blood all over the front path and bloody handprints all over the door. Ambulance pulling away.
I moved the ‘party’ (crisps and a Spider-Man movie by this point, much subdued) at this point to my house, whereupon the cuckolded partners bumped into each other at pick up and one ended up running upstairs to my room and crying and rocking on my bed. Eventually got her to leave by walking her home (with party child, now also tearful).
Your party won’t be as bad as that one. Promise 🤣

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