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Super soaker etiquette at parties

407 replies

tigermoth · 17/07/2008 19:22

Does this sound ok to you?

My ds2 age 8 has been invited to a classmate's party tomorrow (after school ends, last day of term).

The party will take place outdoors in a small park next to the school. (Host and helpers will take the whole class to the park after school ends in the afternoon - hurrah!)

I saw the host's mother yesterday to confirm arrangements. Ds1 begged to bring his large super soaker water pistol with him - and a spare one to give to someone else.

Host's mother and I had a quick talk and agreed it was ok as long as it was warm weather. But I am not sure if host's mother was agreeing under duress IYSWIM. Ds2 was being very insistent and I wonder if the mother was just being polite through gritted teeth?

I told ds2 in front of host's mum that she had my absolute permission to veto any super soaker activity on the day.

ds2 has come home from school today obsessed with super soaker plans. He has apparently got his teacher's permission to bring in bottles of water and store them, along with his two super soakers, in school for use at the party (as there is no water supply at the park). I keep reminding him that if it is cool or if children get upset, the water fight is off, but he seems to have his mind set on this.

I cannot contact host's mother - can't get her phone number and I am unlikely to see her tomorrow morning as she does not do the school drop off. So as it stands,
ds2 will arrive at school tomorrow complete with super soakers.

I plan to write a letter to host's mother re-iterating that she has my utter permission to ban super soakers and ds2 knows this. I will give this letter to ds2 to give to her at the beginning of the party. Ds2 knows I will check that he has given her the letter when I collect him.

It's the end of term, the party is outdoors, I don't want to put the dampers on ds2's plans but hmmm.... what would you think if you were the host's mother? Would you be ok with this?

PS Bit of extra background - some of the parents of ds2's classmates see him as a bit of a livewire, so from what I can gather, he tends not to get too many play date or party invites. This is the first class party he has been invited to for ages and I have told ds2 it's really important that he does what he is told by the host mother so the other parents will see he takes notice. At school, ds2 is reasonably well behaved - I never have to see his teachers about his behaviour, and as a rule he plays well in a group, but I know he will be running around in a frenzy of super soaker, end of term excitement.....

OP posts:
ruddynorah · 18/07/2008 14:52

you are clearly socially inept and are not showing your ds the correct way to behave in such circumstances. fgs. 'live wire' means trouble.

wulfstan · 18/07/2008 14:53

actually, I think you shouldn't ask to bring any toys to a party that can't be shared by all the children. Like the single handheld bubble blowing machine at a party attended by a bunch of toddlers last weekend (lots of tears and tantrums).

Why bring anything to a party at all? Doesn't it insult the parent organising the party. Don't you think they'll have got the entertainment covered.

I have some grudging respect for the sheer tenacity of the OP, though

Bumdiddley · 18/07/2008 15:08

ProvinicialLady -

Madlentileater · 18/07/2008 16:57

agog for update....

Ripeberry · 18/07/2008 17:00

Do they think the super soakers will make them popular?

ProfessorGrammaticus · 18/07/2008 17:16

Tigermoth thank God I am not the mother in question. You must be driving her mad and she is probably upset that you are putting her DCs happiness, at his/her (can't remember) own party, at risk.

Give it up, woman. Your son won't be invited again, I can tell you. "Livewire" ie a euphemism you know.

BoysAreLikeDogs · 18/07/2008 17:22

[bated breath waiting for update]

har har at euphemism

TotalChaos · 18/07/2008 17:27

welllll - afraid I agree with everyone else on the supersoaker position. And I know this is an AIBU thread, but I'm amazed at the amount of personal criticism levelled towards Tigermoth - who has posted on here for ages and always been lovely and calm and thoughtful.

dinny · 18/07/2008 17:27

do you have a dp who took a supersoaker to Hever Castle a month or so ago? Really amusingly soaking every single person around the water maze - thought he was sooooooo funny

bossykate · 18/07/2008 17:33

at nasty sneering tone this thread has taken. agree with totalchaos - tm is a very long standing poster who invariably responds thoughtfully and kindly to others.

TheFallenMadonna · 18/07/2008 17:39

People get carried away I think.

I mean, daft idea and all that, and I can see where TM's DS2 gets his persistence from , but there's some pretty wild extrapolation going on as to TM's and even worse her DS's character.

Blu · 18/07/2008 17:49

Agree with TotalChaos...

I have actually met TM, several times, in RL, and have escaped on every occasion bone dry!

( a position I would like to maintain, true, but still!!!)

serenity · 18/07/2008 17:50

Can I just echo TotalChaos? This thread is hilarious but let's not spoil it by insulting either TM or her DS? It's been a couple of years, but IME both TM and her sons were rather lovely when I met them.

Hope the party went well!

FabioUnblogged · 18/07/2008 17:51

I think it's rude to take toys to a party.

lol Blu, but will lol more if Tigermoth comes back on and says 'I'll post about the party once I've stopped dripping onto the laptop'

ThePettyandIllinformedGoat · 18/07/2008 17:54

TheProvincialLady: i clicked on this thinking it was some lentil weaver thinking about taking her pissy baby to a party in felted nappy covers.

fwiw (which is v. little) i LOATH children with water pistols.

zog · 18/07/2008 17:55

Completely agree with TotalChaos:

at taking supersoakers to a party

but

at unnecessary insults to TM and her ds2

ThingOne · 18/07/2008 18:03

I just want to know how it went!

pointydog · 18/07/2008 18:10

Is this a spoof thread? In response to that water pistol one? surely...

itati · 18/07/2008 18:34

Came to this via the request to put it in classics. Took ages to read. Not entirely sure it was worth it but interested to know what happened.

Doodle2U · 18/07/2008 18:35

Oh give over. Tigermoth has been bloody brilliant about this thread and she's shown herself to be an absolute star for not knee jerk reacting to any of the comments.

Actually, she didn't respond to any of the comments full stop - particularly the posts which specifically said "Don't do it" - you may have noticed that one or two said that.

lizinthesticks · 18/07/2008 18:36

Probably pissed it down and EVERYONE got soaked.

lizinthesticks · 18/07/2008 18:37

Wow - when will this place get a proper quote function.

hunkermunker · 18/07/2008 18:53

Agree with Spidermama - and your reaction on this thread has prompted the snidey tone of the latter part of it, imo - MNers do get sarky when their "nay, nay and thrice NAY" gets met with "But... "

I've got a constructive idea for you though:

Have own super soaker party for DS2 where the rules are laid out clearly in advance and every child invited has a super soaker.

[resolved]

S1ur · 18/07/2008 19:11

I am not sure I have ever seen MN so united.
Clearly you may quibble about sausages and the whole grey area of boden but super soakers? We say NO, step away from the gun.

I too am now waiting with great anticipation, what happened Tiger? Did DS have a good time? Was there water involved????

nappyaddict · 18/07/2008 19:19

actually i think you'll find i said i would let him take it as long as he wasn't going to be getting anyone else wet