to be shell shocked by birthday party with 6 invited 8 year olds?

[jasper]

I have 3 primary school aged kids and have a relaxed view of parenting so am used to considering my kids might well come across as not the most disciplined in the world.

Last night dd (8) had a party at our house with 6 invited classmates.

IT WAS CHAOS!

from the moment they arrived the 6 guests wreaked havvoc, shrieking and yelling, banging the piano lid ( repeatedly being asked not to)and generally behaving in a very bold and loud manner.

One boy just roared at the top of his voice for 2 hours.The rest were not much better.

Within a few min of arriving one little girl went round all the balloons bursting them with a sharp pencil.

I would be mortified if I thought my kids did this in other folks' houses.Maybe thay do???

As I mentioned I thought my own standards were not that high , but this behaviour is not acceptable in our house - far from it.

Anyway is this normal behaviour when a bunch of 8 year olds get together?

yep

from now on regard your child's teacher with awe

I would be shocked, too, and I haven't come across this type of behaviour so far.

cornsilk that is exactly my conclusion.
I made all the kids drink a toast to their teacher.

So this is normal?

Really? Did you really make them toast their teacher?

Some of my ds's friends behave like that and some don't. The effect that individual children can have on each other's behaviour is extraordinary.

I think when they get together they 'show off' in front of each other, basically trying to prove who can be the most loud, badly behaved or whatever. It only takes one child to start them off and they all follow on becoming progressively worse. I can't explain why but it always happens. Boys are worse in my opinion - they usually start things and the girls will follow on. My only advice is don't have a party at home in future with so many and where you are left in charge....you live and learn as they say!

yes, if my experience of my dds 8th birthday party is anything to go by - they were horrific and I was shocked. I thought the girls were really rude and completely lacked respect.

However, I think alot of it was peer pressure as on a 1:1 basis the children were all ok.

mostly, I absolutely did.

they stopped shrieking for a few seconds and looked perplexed.

God you were brave. I never use the words 'party' and 'my house' in the same invitation anymore. Friends for tea is all I can cope with and that's er...lively enough shall we say.

Dd had a small party the other day of 10 yr olds and the noise and jockying for poll position was worth at leat three large G&T's afterwads (or at least that's what I told myself).

I think individually they aren't too bad but get 'em all together and it's muyder (as Max from Hart to Hart used to say

They sound 'orrible.

I would have been quite heavy handed (not literally, naturally wouldn't have laid a finger on them!)

My eldest in 6.5 currently so perhaps I have it to come....

madmazza and pollyanna I agree with you both.

these are all kids I thought I knew quite well from school gates, walking home etc., and the odd visit of one kid at a time.

En masse they were horrid little oiks

We had ds's last party at lazer quest. The party room was hell on earth - they were all over the place making sooo much noise and being really cheeky. The girl who was our party leader was so unfazed. She said it was about normal.

avaTsar i thought I was keeping it light by only inviting 6.

I will never do it again

cornsilk what age is your ds?

Soft play area next time perhaps.

I hate them and love them in equal measure. At least it contains them.

He is 8.

I was shell shocked after a 6 year old party and actually had to have a lie down. Ds wanted me to stay and so his behaviour was on the loud side of marginal, but some of the the others made him look reclusive.

Then the next weekend after sports day one mum had a couple of parents around to her house (and so around 6 children). Her house was destroyed in about 20 minutes. She drank lots of wine and then went out leaving her dh to tidy up.

I had been wondering why all the school social type things don't happen in anyone's house.

mine was a sleepover jasper. I had the little buggers darlings for fecking hours!

I can see why couples get divorced over these things.

Dh just retreated into a corner, bless him. He hates parties at the best of times

Cornsilk, difficult age...

dd is having 5 friends round for a party tea and video on a saturday. Party finishes at 8pm. next door have two young kids, do I need to warn them?

I must admit I had a fireworks party (deferred Bonfire night - cancelled last weekend due to rain) last night, and I invited only those friends of my dc's that behave well. For instance my ds' best friend wasn't included. Not prepared to have errr 'lively' children wrecking the joint

LOL, I had 30 kids between 2 and 9 in my house for ds1's party last year

the mess was ASTRONOMICAL and the noise ditto

but it was worth it

stepford that is what surprised me most. I thought it was only "good/nice" kids who were invited. Half of them turned out to be hitherto undiscovered hideous little brats.

I had mistakenly thought by the time they got to 8 they had a bit more sense.

As I said I have 3 kids ( 9,8,6) and this is the first party like this we have ever had.

I have waited this long specifically to avoid this exact problem.

Shows you how much I know