I'm prepared to be flamed about this, I know a lot of parents like to hyper supervise every single calorie and morsel that passes their childs lips otherwise....oh i don't know hell might freeze over or something but surely you can back off at a party??
One of the reasons I send dh with dd to parties rather than go myself is because I find the anxious, hectic, hyper controlling helicoptering of other parents too much to bear esp at the mealtime. So what of they just eat a handful of doritos 3 breadsticks and a piece of cake? It's ONE MEAL. It's a PARTY.
Dh went to a party at a play centre recently, one that's renowed for having healthy good food, carrot sticks proper baker chips, pitta bread, hummus etc. It was for a 5 year old. every parent bar him stood "OVER" their child monitoring and co-ercing every, single, mouthful and flapping if they didn't take adequate intake of grapes/veg etc. Above anything else i actually think it's embarrassing. get a grip people.
At my dds 5th party I'll be asking that they're left. No staying and special GENUINE dietry requirements aside I ain't monitoring them all at food time.
AIBU, I'm I a terrible mummy, benign neglectful harridan?
Oh and BTW I work in child health and am fully aware of opinions amongst my colleagues and myself who think that this kind of parenting can actually contribute to food issues in adolescence which i believe to be true.
AIBU?
To think this type of helicoptering is OTT at kids parties?
minxofmancunia · 19/07/2011 21:26
At dd's recent 5th birthday party I put an enormous tin of Quality Street in the middle of the food table. Most of the parents were urging their children to make sure they took enough chocolate 
.
Alcohol served at soft play centres, really???
There's a soft play joint across the fields; it's across the corridor from the same leisure centre's bar but I can't believe that parents would be allowed to bring a pint into the soft play section. Not that the hosting family would spring for it, either, so it means paying bar prices to get any booze; and most the parents drive to get there, so of course can't be drinking. We are one of the few families that would walk over (down dodgy country lanes).
Come to think of it, have attended very few kid parties in last 3 years, anyway. The only friend's party that DS2 ever attended was at a private home (MNers usually want parents to sod off for home parties, no?) , I might have stayed & helped if I'd known cider or wine were on offer :) 
.
Took DD to a party (for a 4yo) where the ONLY drinks on offer were fizzy lemonade & Cola. I slunk off to the toilets to get 3yo DD some water (Flying my true helicopter colours 
).
Seriously, do people like that really exist 
. It's a blooming party, i's meant to be about treats. I'd bet these would be the first to complain if they went to a party but weren't allowed a glass of wine before they'd drunk the required amount of carrot juice.
Weirdos
Oh god I used to hate this at parties when ds was younger. There was one woman (you know the type, child was reading in the womb, always talking to her children in very loud voice for all the world to know, there is always one wherever I go) who always insisted that little Johnny had to eat cucumber or carrot sticks "before you eat anything else darling, just like we do at home".
Grrrrhhhhhhhhh arrrrghhhh and breathe.
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I agree. It's totally not the time to be angsting about your 5 a day. I am equally unfazed by the contents worthy or otherwise (hopefully unworthy) of the party bag too. Gawd don't people get their undies in a bundle - on here anyway - about those
.
Too many mothers hanging around and immediately they all have the opportunity for competetive one upmanship on a grand scale; especially around that emotive subject - food.
They can mentally score each others dc on table manners, dexterity at feeding themselves and the chance to glow when Algernon consumes 20 carrot sricks with gusto and turns his nose up at anything sugary. Or better still doesn't know what sugar is cos he hasn't ever had it before.
I had one who's mum insisted her dd had water and not squash because she 'preferred it'. Poor kid was looking longingly at the squash.
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