Party for a 5 year old held 10 miles from home...why????

[barbie007]

DS has brought a party invite home today. It's for his friend who will be 5 next month which is lovely but why on earth are they having it in a place that's 10 miles away? Do the parents think I've got nothing better to do?

it's 10 miles not 100....!

YABU

My nearest secondary school was 12 miles away, Tia the price you pay for living in the country.
Soft play, climbing, pool with waves, nursery friends at opposite edge of it's area all equal parties 12-15 miles from here.

Barbie007 - as already said. On their birthday it IS the birthday child who is important! It is their special day to have the party they want.

As a guest you simply get to chose if you go or not. You make that decision based on the day, the time and the location.

The party isn't set up to meet the needs of everyone else, it is set up to meet the needs of the bithday child and their parents.

another walker here SQ and a big believer in using your local facilities and in making it easy for everyone

see i think there must be a big difference in attitudes because to me, "it's not about what the guests need it's about the host" is the total antithesis to how i would arrange a party - be it a kid's birthday party, a hen do or a wedding but i'm well aware that that attitude is one that a lot of people share these days.

it just happens to be precocious and selfish different to my own

We booked one of my daughter's parties at the ice rink 40 miles away .

In my defence a) she was 11, not 5 and b) we live in a fairly rural area with sod all to do round here.

I have to say, 10 miles sounds like nothing! But I guess a city 10 miles is different to a country 10 miles.

My children have had variety of parties, some very local, others (ie when DD1 wanted to go ice skating) were further afield. Sometimes local facilities are not the solution, there was a thread on here recently whereby local softplay facility was charging a fortune for parties (and for all the parents attending too). All posting on thread thought it was far too expensive and later on the OP of that thread posted to say she had found an alternative venue - further away but at more than half the cost. wish I could remember the name of the thread.

If you'd said "45 minutes away" everyone would have been agreeing you.

Maybe it also has to do with the school and the guest locations. DD's school is 3-4 miles away from our house. Her classmates all live in different location, up to 30-40 minutes drive away from the school in different locations. We love in a city but not a huge city - but again the facilities are at all sides of the city. Everyone in DD's class are used to travelling and all have at least one car they can use. Everyone here travels, so yes - they travel for parties too.

And then some of her friends come from different towns altogether - so we have travelled 20, 30 miles and more to go to her friends parties. We just incorporate it into our weekend plans where we can.

If Dd wants a specific type of party then yes, I will put her needs first - and then ask guests if they'd like to join her.

I'm inclined to agree with the OP and swallowedafly here. If you live in a city where there is lots available to you in your local area and all the guests you have invited live in that area, it does make sense to keep the party local. I would be conscious of inconveniencing the parents. How awful would it be if lots of DS's friends stayed away because it wasn't convenient for the parents.

I have both had and taken DC's to parties further away than that - sometimes you just get bored of going to the same old places that everyone else has their parties and want to do something a bit different. If it bothers you then just don't take him.