To be foaming about kids’ Christmas party?

[O6bftdff]

I took my four year old nephew to a Christmas party yesterday at the golf club. It was really well done. They’d hired a soft play section, had Santa, balloons, drawing, a little buffet. Really good.

But then they had the party games and I’m still a bit annoyed about it (and yes, I know they’re children). First up was pass the parcel. I sat behind DN when he joined the ‘big kids’ circle (there was a separate one for the babies) and off we went. The same girl, about six or seven, kept getting the parcel handed to her and just sitting with it and staring straight ahead. She was next to a small boy of maybe three who wasn’t old enough to understand to take it. It only moved when the other older kids started shouting at her to pass it. She won three times.

Then we play corners and obviously the kids who are in whichever corner is called go out of the game. Some kids who kept going out kept just rejoining, and of course one of them won.

Pass the parcel again and this time all the babies and older children in one big circle with two parcels circulating. Im next to DN again and a woman to our left has maybe a one year old on her knee. The cheating girl is to her left. Once again the cheating girl just sits with the parcel and the woman with the baby is too talking to a friend behind her that the girl sits with the parcel and wins another two times. Meanwhile, on the other side of the circle a boy of six or seven just sits with the other parcel until the music stops. The other kids complain he’s cheating to the organiser, who just ignores them.

Finally the music stops on my DN just as he’s going to hand over the parcel, but he still had hold of it. The five year old next to him is with her DM. The girl was ignoring him, the music stopped, and the woman took it from him and said ‘that’s yours, DD’. I didn’t say anything but wish I had. I felt so sorry for him.

I don’t blame the kids, they’re kids, but surely if you’re either taking a child or organising a children’s party you should be making sure your kids aren’t cheating and the cheaters aren’t continuously winning? I know it’s only a game and a kids’ one at that but the blatant rewards for cheating wound me right up.

Honestly you’ve a long road ahead if this makes you foam at the mouth. They’re kids, all learning about games and winning and fairness, and all hopped up on sugar and Christmas “magic”.

I think the Ops issue is that the adults weren't teaching the children about games, winning and fairness. If nothing is said is anything learnt?

As I say, I don’t blame the kids, I blame the adults with them just vacantly staring around instead of parenting their kids.

I thought this was going to be about a foam party, which sounds much more fun.

Yeah the problem lies with the adults here.

@O6bftdff why didn't you intervene and say "No, she didn't have the parcel"? I think I would have grabbed it back and given it to nephew.

Exactly this! The kids have learnt that if you cheat you repeatedly win.

To be fair, your own silence reinforced that to your DN.

Having been to many a foam party, I can confirm they are a lot more fun.

They're kids being kids but their parents/carers should absolutely ensure their child is complying with yhe tules of the game.

Im afraid the little girl's mother who whipped away the parcel from your DN was selfish and lacks the good social graces required to make the world go round...rather pathetic, wasn't she?

I didn’t say anything but wish I had. I felt so sorry for him.
You can't have felt that sorry or you'd have said something. You just reinforced the cheating tbh.

Well I wasn’t going to argue and take some bubbles from a child who isn’t mine. And really the child should have already taken it from DN, but wasn’t paying attention. But maybe I should’ve said something.

No where near as bad as the kids just sitting holding the parcel while their parents and the organiser done nothing though.

This is why the adult in charge of pass the parcel should always keep a sneaky eye on proceedings. If the child in questions parents were watching and letting away with this they were to blame too. Personally I'd have gone and moved the parcel along myself but im bolshy like that.

I did say something. I said ‘you were so close that time, weren’t you DN?’ If the girl had been paying attention it would’ve been hers anyway. It’s the adults not paying attention that’s irritating.

I guess things just came to a head for OP.

I wasn’t sure where the line was. It’s only the second kids party I’ve ever been to. I did say to the woman to my left a few times to pass the parcel along from the cheating girl. Honestly how hard is it to concentrate on playing properly for five minutes.

Is foaming like frothing?

Yeah.

It was at a golf club
The parents are probably golfers.

The adults in charge were at fault here. It would have annoyed me too. Children need teaching these things.

What’s that got to do with it?

I think sometimes you have to be the one to take charge. So if you've noticed the problem with the "cheating" girl, next time ensure you are sitting close enough to her to intervene and get the parcel moving along

This is what I’d have done , but I’m an ex cub leader and won’t take any nonsense even from children .

OP if you didnt bother to speak up when you should have, why do expect the others to behave as you think they should.

But 'foaming' ? How do you cope with serious issues?

Not child s fault. Person in charge of stopping music needs to keep an eye and stop at right moment you could have gone to have a word

Things like this happened a good many times when my DC were little and believe me you’ll find your voice soon, OP. It’s infuriating.