I’ve taken DD to two birthday parties this weekend. Both of the birthday children were turning six. At each party, there seemed to be an expectation that the parents would stay, and there were chairs laid out for them. So I stayed. Gosh, I’ve seen a lot of magic shows lately.
The things is, the parents of the birthday child usually have other relatives there to help with the party food. Plus, there’s often an entertainer. So we end up with a ratio of about three adults for every two children, which seems a bit unnecessary for 5-6 year olds. Even if there is the occasional toddler wandering around.
In my day, after the age of about three or four, the party guests were all just dropped off at the birthday child’s house, where they would play pass the parcel and eat jelly and ice-cream before being picked up two hours later.
Why are the parents of older children expected to stay at parties these days? And at what age does this normally end? I’d like my weekend afternoons back!