to be annoyed with my friends who bring their staving hungry kids to parties?

[sighsighsigh]

Over this Xmas period I have held a couple of evening get-togethers for a few of my friends and all our children. However, I have noticed that a couple of my friends will always bring their children along ravenously hungry. These children will within 30 minutes to an hour of arriving, will be constantly pestering me in the kitchen for food - demanding to know where the food is. (I usually serve food approx 1 - 1.5 hours of arrival time and there is always plenty of food to go around.) One friend of mine, admitted that when there is a party she will be quite happy to skip the children's tea - which would explain why her children would be ravenous by the evening.
So, ABIU to
a) find the children's behavior irritating and rude
b) to be annoyed with their parents too?

Perhaps ask the guests to supply their own kendal mint cake. That should stave their hunger for 60 to 90 minutes.

Never mind the kids - I'd be hovering about waiting for the food!

YABU - mi casa at all that.

and all that

YABU, YE BIG GRINCH!

And these children wait an hour to pester you for food? They are model children, mine would be begging like starving puppies within 10 minutes.

Bet you parties are a riot altogether....

YAB V U

Send out a set of rules beforehand and minimum pre-party food intake, then you won't have an issue as all the guests would have been firmly put in their place.

If you fed them they'd bugger off and leave you and your friends to chat Mrs Bucket.

Do you then get your butler to ring a bell to inform your quests food is ready? Are they to form an orderly queue and put the dishes in the dishwasher afterwards?

It is unreasonable to expect kids to be fed before a party. I dont feed my kids before a party!

My dd had her recent birthday party at a restaurant, and several of the kids had had dinner before they came and so didnt really eat. One of the parents even said to me 'oh I didnt know there would be food' the party was at a restaurant!! A well known one too! So odd!

But kids being rude isnt acceptable, I wouldnt allow my kids to pester the party host, its not nice. But 60-90 mins is a long time before food comes out-if people are late its their problem imo! I wouldnt go longer than 20-30 mins before food coming out. Kids have no patience.

i actually like it if my friends kids are peckish - eat more . better than food refusenik

They shouldn't be allowed to pester you but I can't understand why you'd want to make your guests wait 90 minutes before serving anything to eat.

If I was hosting a party I'd assume that my guests would be eating very lightly beforehand and therefore would be hungry when they arrived.

YABU the point of a party is to eat and enjoy, i would be most offended if i had taken the trouble to prepare food and it was not eaten as people had eaten just before they came, why!

For me, it depends on the time of the party and the age of the children. Teatime for my children when they were younger was about 5-6pm, so if it was an evening 'do', I'd give them something around their normal teatime, to put them on until the party - maybe not a full meal, but a sandwich or similar.

I would say it is a bit unreasonable to make younger children wait well past their normal meal time, and that it is up to the parents to look at the time of the invitation, and decide whether their children need something to keep them going.

But equally, as the hostess, I'd be putting out some crisps etc, for people to munch on until the food was ready.

This reminds me of a relative of mine who was hosting a party for another relative of mine.
The buffet,which looked wonderful,was laid out on the tables when we arrived, but was covered by clingfilm.

It took 5 hours for them to decide to allow their guests to eat from the buffet by which time the food would not have been fit for consumption and half of us had given up and headed for McDonalds.

Imagine that some people actually expect to eat at a party!

And I know that's a rather more extreme example than that of the OP but I don't understand either scenario.

"Same with small people. A large appetite is most unattractive and a real social put-off"

Oh no no no!!!

I LOVE a guest with a big appetite who devours my food. I am very suspicious of those who pick at their food - it sends me off into a flap..."are they allergic? Do they hate it? Are they being polite eating it al all?"

I love a greedy guest!!!

And I like when guests - kids included are comfy enough to ask for food/drinks, whatever

lettherebe, what strange people i am

I come from a Mediterranian family, and food is most important to having a good time, a party without food is .People have big appitites and will pile their plates high, its a compliment to eat lots.

purpleduck - agree completely.

There's nothing better (especially when you have a tiny appetite so therefore finish eating before everyone else, including your own children lol) than sitting back and watching your guests happily tucking in your food. Coming back for/asking for seconds etc even better.

Very satisfying knowing that you've gone a good job preparing buffet/cooking food and people are enjoying it.

horsey doovers - arf

and no one has mentioned crudities

I was too,particuarly as it's apparently obligatory for anyone of my background to look as though they were expecting to have to feed the 5000 when hosting.
If there's a square inch of space left on the buffet table then the neighbours will talk about you for a month.

When i do a buffet i hate leftovers, makes more work for me as to where to put it all in the fridge or having to throw it away as its been out too long.

I'm with you on that Purple/AWFA.

I like to feed people, to see them enjoying the food I've prepared. It's very satisfying and I'll have food available from when they arrive to when they leave.

scottish culture=feed your guests fill their boots.get stuck in.food avail from arrival.food pivotal to a good do.love folk tucking in

scotishmummy sounds like the Med culture too

Only we serve everything coated in batter and washed down with Irn Bru

canadian too

Or maybe just at our house - but any case I want people to be comfy and have a good time at my house...kids included

scottishmummy - I'm from the NE England - and it's the same up there