To let DS have a Disney Princess party for his 6th birthday

[Bubbinsmakesthree]

Just that really. DS is 6 next month is having a class party. He has asked for a party theme of his favourite film characters...who are all Disney princesses. AIBU to give him the party he wants?

I'd go for a Disney theme. I say this as the mother of a 6 year old boy who has a rainbow unicorn birthday cake this weekend! You can decorate the venue etc as you want without it being very feminine or masculine. I think at this age they start to fall into the boys are blue and girls are pink BS and depending on his classmates ( and depending on his character) he may find it makes his life harder to negotiate.

I imagine there are some girls who wouldn't have anything to wear to a princess party as well as boys ( I imagine it's a whole class party rather than selected children?)

Let him have the party he wants!

If it was your DD wanting a star wars party or something else typically masculine you would be absolutely slated for not giving her what she wanted. (observation not a criticism)

Widen it out? Great not stereotyping but I was assured by dd2 that her post school all male party 7 yr old guests would love making build a bear type bears and decorating t shirts for them. They did not and mayhem ensued.

Go for just general fancy dress for the sake of the other parents. I'd have been stumped if my DD had been invited to a specifically Disney dress-up party - she's never been much into any films and never had any Disney costumes, but I'm sure we could have done a free choice dress-up.

What do you mean by Disney Princess theme?

If you are expecting other children to dress up as Disney princesses that would be unreasonable, neither of mine (one of each) would have wanted to do that and I hate Disney and wouldn't want to give them my money.

If you mean decorate the hall and cake and play music from Disney films that's a very different thing and totally your son's choice.

Princessses and prirates theme?

Why not just do a general fancy dress party? Lots of kids don't like Disney princesses (myself included as a little girl) and would rather be able to dress up as something they do like.

My daughter had one. But i named it a Disney royalty and pirates party. That meant we had little girl pirates and there was a choice of royalty for boys.

My daughter attended a ‘princess and pirates’ party once as a toddler dressed as calypso from pirates if the Caribbean.

No as kids will bully him now and when the photos emerge in a few years time, they will bully him even more. Not right but sadly that’s life.

It's better to keep the theme wider for a few reasons.
It's easier to find a costume. Having a fancy-dress phobic child, a more generic Disney theme means he can pass with a regular Star Wars top. He gets in a tizz because while he can't bear to wear fancy dress, he hates worrying that he'd be the odd one out in regular clothes so it's a lose:lose.
Children can wear what they are comfortable with regardless of sex/ gender stereotyping.

Unfortunately infant school children are highly suceptible to any comment about fitting in, and they usually haven't yet got the maturity and confidence to stand their ground about their own taste if it's not highly conformist. My DSs loved luridly painted fingernails, but it only took one comment from a classmate to put him off and dump the idea firmly into the mental bin of "for girls". No amount of open minded persuasion from me has ever changed his mind since.

There are far more influences on school age children than just their parents.

I think go for a wider theme. Someone will definitely pick on him and in the real world it is just going to be odd unfortunately. Princesses and pirates is a good one.

My DS had a whole class party at that age. It was a joint party with 2 boys and 2 girls as birthday children. They did pirates and princesses theme (not strictly Disney ones) which worked well.

My children have been to a few parties recently with a ‘princesses and pirates’ and ‘princess and marvel’ theme - it includes everyone if they want to dress up and the decor was mainly just colours so bright table covers, multicoloured balloons etc. I liked this, as I say it feels like everyone is included and the birthday child is happy too

Honestly, my ds wouldn't have wanted to go to this party based on that theme. I agree to broaden it out. No need to upset your ds, just tell him that he can wear what he wants and still have the same party but that its better to have a theme that all the children will want to participate in.

Favourite Disney character theme.

Done and done.

This thread is so retro Mumsnet. It's been ages since we've had one!

I wonder if the OP will come back? They normally don't from memory.

Open it up to Disney in general. Lots of girls and I’d imagine most if not all of the boys coming would be happier with that. You wouldn’t want them to not show up because they don’t want to come as a Disney princess!

Hope the party goes well :-)

As with many others I’d just try to make it as Disney Princess as possible,cake, invitations, decorations but make the invitation ‘fancy dress/party dress or your comfy clothes!- if you want to dress up great no problem if you don’t’ (not all kids like dressing up!)

Irrespective of the other issues, when inviting a whole class of young children, it’s best to be as general as possible with regard to what they wear, so that none of them feel uncomfortable

I hope he has a fabulous time!

I’d go Disney theme. Not that I think there’s anything wrong with boys liking princesses, but if dressing up is encouraged a lot of his boy pals aren’t going to have princess dresses available and not many parents would buy one just for the occasion. Your DS can of course wear a dress if we wants.

Just out of interest OP, idiots also fancy dress, what would your ds pick to wear for a Disney themed party?

Yikes not sure how the word idiots ended up in there! Should have said if it's...

It’s so hard but whilst my heart says yes do it, my head says don’t!!!

Kids are cruel at times so anything that makes a child a potential target, I would avoid.

Does society stereotype? Yes
Is it right? No
Do ‘bullies’ care? No, sadly not

Sadly I think it would be a mistake, purely because he'll be teased about it for the rest of his school career. Kids have long memories and can be really mean. Maybe just do a general Disney theme?

It feels shit saying that, as a feminist I believe toys are for everyone, but I was horribly bullied at school and wouldn't inflict that on a child knowingly.

I agree. If you really have to theme it, just call it a Disney party. DD is 7, the whole class still invite everyone to each others and there's not been a "themed" one or fancy dress yet.

I agree with others. My son wouldn't go to a princess party. But he would like a Disney party and would attend that.