Pass the Parcel

[Throwawayteachere]

Yes this is a non issue in comparison to the many other actually important issues out there but I thought would put it out there!

AIBU that no one will ever be happy?

My pass the parcel issues....

I went to a party where parents complained that there weren't enough layers for every child and it was mean.

At my playgroup they complained I wasn't aware of the exact layers I did

At work they did pass the parcel while watching who they paused the music on. They said they needed to see for health and safety Weirdly all the popular staff won!

Witnessing an actual argument over a pass the parcel prize as it was mid 'pass'.

I have a 3 hour drive today so happy to be entertained with your worst pass the parcel tales!

Bank in my day, it was fun just unwrapping a layer. If there are plenty of games so everyone gets a bit of success at something, there doesn’t need to be a prize in every layer.

You played pass the parcel with your work colleagues... As in actual adults playing a children's party game.

That is bonkers.

I once went to a party with a couple of pass the parcel games that the parents made sure were won by the birthday boy. I didn't say anything but I did have an inner mn judgey moment

@watersheep I made a complaint to management as I work in complaints at the moment and whereas the younger ones love running around squealing and doing games (once there was a actual goal post in the call centre), I had customers complain I'm laughing at them when in reality I am trying to listen and help! How do you tell someone 'im sorry your toy won't be with you for your child's Christmas, please don't cry, hang on I just need to pass the parcel as Liz next to me is squealing and going mad for it' . Management said I needed to get into it, as I work in a business that values colleagues and wants them to have fun.

@makeitrain Pass the parcel can't be allowed if the person on music looks around when it's the big prize! That's my pass the parcel rule

Oooooo I've got a good one to share!!
This is quite outing !

At a child's 5th birthday party call her A and her best friend B. There were two parcels going around. Mum made sure both A and B won the prizes!!

Then after food she does the game again. Laid out the children again but she messed up this time as a sibling held onto it for too long and B didn't win but the birthday girl A did again!!! The parents couldn't believe she had tried to make the same two people win again!

It was so bad. I even piped up "again seriously?" Haha!!

I have to sign up for pass the parcel in my kids classes. When they get their layer prize, they tend to complain about it. My son hates haribo, he complained bitterly about winning haribo between one of the layers. I told him next time sign me up for it and he won’t get haribo. I put party bags between layers, with a couple of toys/pencils/rubbers and the chocolate. That way everyone is happy, (apart from one woman who’s daughter wanted a pencil and got a stacking crayon in her bag, but you can’t please everyone!)

All the kid's parties I've been to there was a layer for each child. When I was a kid the birthday boy/girl always won the big gift in the middle now it seems to be all equal prices in each layer and each kids wins one. If my DC didn't win I certainly wouldn't be arsed to complain though!

WTAF..?

I had a party for DD. Sweets in every layer.
I did 3 parcels for 12 kids and and all of them got a sweet from a layer, they were happy.
One mum complained I should have done 12 parcels and each individual child should have won.
Apart from the fact I couldn’t be arsed and it would have gone on for days - get over yourself.

It's a game and is supposed to be a bit of fun. Not a set up for whom will win and get a chance to unwrap.

Oooh and I love pass the parcel. We do an adults version... adult jokes, gifts etc.

Pass the parcel immediately before, a pin the nose type game, a craft or the party tea works well. After each child unwraps a layer they are then out and go to the next activity. This has two advantages:

1. No need to look when stopping the music as you can guarantee each child gets one go only.
2. You have have a steady stream of children for the activity and thus time to give them individual attention.

I don't do pass the parcel I do pass the teddy which has a bag on its paw. The one who has it when the music stops pulls out a coloured bead red or yellow and then does a lucky dip from the coloured bag. Red is usually lollies and yellow is a party toy thing. Everyone wins at least once and there is no big prize in the middle. Never had any complaints but then I am the teacher so they know better!

I have had colleagues staying up till two in the morning doing 30 layers and I'm sorry that is not for me!

My MIL doesn’t know about gifts in between layers. She always enjoys setting up multiple pass-the-parcel games at birthday parties, and they always end up with bemused, somewhat upset kids. I don’t have the heart to tell her.

One prize in the middle. At most a sweet between layers. Not every child gets a layer. The birthday child does not win the middle prize.

There was nothing at all in between the layers.

You need forfeits in layers!

Loads online.

Some parents are petty

A friend of mine moaned heartily about the ridiculous party bags and presents expected at his daughters friends birthday parties. He also complained about pass the parcel and why did there need to be a present in every layer? Why where they actual things when he was a boy every second or 3rd later would have a penny chew and the prize would be a colouring book or something similar. He felt it was a way of showing off by some and excluded those who couldn't afford to keep up, the parties also got bigger and bigger each year, with entertainment and venues. I remember one when his daughter got a barbie, a change of clothes and barbie horse.
He got more and more rabid about it as the years went on and when his youngest was about 6 he just lost the plot. He organised the party.
That year he said parents just sat open mouthed as their children found pieces of paper in each layer of pass the parcel proclaiming they had won whatever that years must have toys and games where which he would Solemnly fetch from a cupboard. He said the prizes and party bags ranged from £20-30 each.
He organised a juggler and bouncy castle and the food came from a popular take away which the children all got to choose what they wanted.

He said it seemed to have the desired affect as the next couple of years until his daughters where too old for such things all the parties they went to where simple affairs with modest.

He said he had realised the year before when he had tried to rein in their spending in the hope other parents would see the ridiculousness of it just resulted in her daughters not being invited as much and he overheard people discussing how tight arsed he was, his wife and daughters had complained about how embarrassing he was and children at the party had been vocal about rubbish presents and food.
He said no one stood a chance in keeping up with his spending and they could see how it would look if they did

It hardly costs a lot to put a lollypop or pixie sticks which you get in big bags from poundland in each layer and the center be something like a book or toy from poundland. £1 sweets, £1 prize and £0.20 wrapping paper from asda = £2.20, pretty cheap over all when you consider how much other party entertainment costs.

I've never heard anyone complain really unless the same kid (example: birthday kid) wins everything.