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AIBU?

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Original poster

Pass the parcel politics

41 replies

Catsize · 09/12/2015 22:11

DS soon to be 4 and will have a party.

The parcel will be passed, as will its surrounding layers.

However, pass the parcel seems to have evolved in the past years.

Back in the day, the main gift was wrapped in several layers of newspaper, not everyone got to unwrap a layer and nobody died.

Then some bright spark used real wrapping paper...
Then a different type of paper for each layer...
Then a sweet in each layer...
Then each child had to have a layer to unwrap, lest they might expire on the spot.
Then a bag of usually cow spine Haribo sweets in each layer
Latest party DS went to? An actual gift in each layer.
When or where will it end???*

Tempted to revert to 1983 pass the parcel. AIBU?
I do wonder whether expectations and hopes will be dashed, there will be tears, and I might be arrested for child cruelty.
Perhaps DS' birthday party is not the time to be making a statement, or will this back to basics approach be welcomed by others? Will I just be thought of as mean?
Have to say, we go 'all out' in every other respect for his parties - lots of personal touches, homemade food etc. but the pass the parcel evolution makes me Hmm

*Disclaimer: Evolutionary timeline may not be 100% historically accurate.

OP posts:
RiverTam · 10/12/2015 08:01

FFS it's a 4yo's party, not a fucking lecture in how life's a piece of shit when you look at it. It's not hard or rocket science to stick a small choc between layers. And possibly you haven't noticed the drop in sales of physical newspapers, but in our house it's rare to have enough newspaper to wrap a pass-the-parcel, hence using other paper. Plus the ink comes off which is a pain.

It's a party. You know, a fun thing for kids to enjoy? Lighten up - you might have some fun too!

pudcat · 10/12/2015 08:05

Will the parents of the 4 year olds be staying because they will be worse than the children, if their little one doesn't get a turn at unwrapping the parcel.

YoureAllABunchOfBastards · 10/12/2015 08:06

At DS1's first school disco they did Pass the Parcel. 75 reception kids, 6 parcels, one circle....shudder...

wonkylegs · 10/12/2015 08:09

I have a saved box of old present paper (Xmas & birthday) which is specifically for pass the parcel etc and is supplimented with newspaper.
We found that many many kids round by us had never played pass the parcel at DSs 7th birthday that I had to keep explaining it. So many kids had only ever been to soft play parties or other activities that they had never played traditional party games.

KaraokeQueenOfTheNorth · 10/12/2015 08:09

Pass the Parcel is The Worst. I hate it, I actuwlly cannot be in a room when it is happening. I hated it as a kid and I hate it now.

Pre record a track with randomly set gaps in the music. Wrap parcel in newspaper layers. Pop the occasionall sweet in, and some fake spiders or something. Then sit kids down, press play, and leave the room.

Let us know what you find when you come back 10 mins later.

Lasaraleen · 10/12/2015 08:13

I was born in 1979 and I remember pass the parcel as a layer for every child with a sweet or chocolate in each layer. Maybe I just went to better parties Wink

WeThreeMythicalKings · 10/12/2015 08:20

When I was a kid we had forfeits in each layer. If the forfeit was performed successfully you got a sweet.

If you'd done a forfeit you passed it on to someone who hadn't. Last few and final layer it was every child for him/herself and stand well back.

LittleLionMansMummy · 10/12/2015 08:21

We ended up with more children than layers due to late replies and one girl (the most indulged, entitled one there - think Augustus Gloop and Veruca Salt's love child) ended up in floods of tears for aaaaaaages. Her mum got all snippy with dh and the only way he could rescue the situation was to drive to the shop and buy more sweets. She'd already stuffed herself with 3 platefuls of food, cakes and loads of sweets. Poor ds just looked bemused. Never again.

It had been against our better judgement to begin with because we'd had similar thoughts to you op. We hadn't even realised that the game had evolved until we took ds to his friend's birthday party a few weeks before.

YADNBU. I'd never do it again. Play musical statues instead.

Oh and I don't think the birthday boy or girl should win it. We warned ds that he wouldn't so he was prepared.

mylittlemonkey · 10/12/2015 09:59

I think the comment about them being only 4 is right. PP was done on older children in my day. I have seen kids crying when they didn't get a sweet, as they come to expect now that they will at least open a layer and get a little something. Not sure a 4 yr olds party is the appropriate time to be making a stand.

whois · 10/12/2015 12:37

I'm an 80s kid and there was usually a single sweet in each layer, like a fruit salad or black jack or chocolate eclaire :-)

alwaysme22 · 10/12/2015 14:20

The best Pass The Parcel I ever saw was at a Puppy Training Xmas Party. The pups sat at each owners feet and the owners took off the layers, there was a pack of treats in each layer. Our pup won the toy in the middle and literally shrieked with excitement. All the pups were excited and not one of them had a tantrum :)

munkisocks · 10/12/2015 14:33

At dh cousins they had pass the parcel, she was turning 8. They wrapped one prize up in layers of newspaper with a lolly or small bag of haribo in each layer. Dh did the music so he tried to stop so most children got a go at unwrapping. Any children who didn't get a turn got a sweet from cousins mum afterwards so it was fair. There were two parcel rounds so two prizes. Think this was a good way tbh. Also birthday girl did not win any of the main prizes.

LaContessaDiPlump · 10/12/2015 14:41

Pass the Parcel for puppies? Confused

I have officially now heard everything.

reni2 · 10/12/2015 14:44

Do a piñata instead. The raw violence, mad grabbing action and the rain of pure gluttony is more fun to watch.

alwaysme22 · 10/12/2015 14:45

No, you haven't. They also had musical chairs!! Grin

TempusEedjit · 10/12/2015 14:53

When I was 8 I went to a birthday party where one of the children insisted that when you got the parcel you ripped off as many layers of paper as possible before the music started back up. Funnily enough she won both times Hmm

still bitter at the injustice of the parents not stepping in

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