Hmmm..Would you attend a childrens party and....

[StrawberrySnowflakes]

leave your child there, not knowing the host and say youll be back when its finished??

im having party tomorrow, am also working (childminder), one mum whom i do know to talk too said she wouldnt be able to stay(ffs! yeah i could do with two free hours to xmas shop too, but im putting a fecking party on for your children!)is that okay?..so i said look, ill be up to my eyes in it as well as the fact im working, so if you cant stay, youll need to speak to someone else who can look after your dd for you...fine, she was ok...now last pasrty we went to a little boy and his dad turned up, this dad knew no one as never takes son to school..asked host what time it finished, then said right ill be back then..his ds then proceeded to scream when anyone popped a ballon and fell over a million times njuring himself.........same boy and same dad are coming to ours tomorrow!!!.hmmmmm

No, I don't think you are unusual for having a different opinion to me. I think you are unusual for expecting - and insisting- that parents stay at a party when this is not the norm as all the other posts on this thread agree. You seemed to be pretty shocked and cross about it, and I was simply pointing out that it is actually very normal to leave children over four. I'm glad your party went well.

agree with dara - IME and looking at the responses on this thread, I think it is unusual for most parents to stay if their children are of school age. In reception year, maybe more will stay, but by year 1, most won't.

i didnt insist anyone stayed, i hadnt actually had the party when i first posted. and at previous parties its never came up about anyone leaving, even for the older children.
the parents i invited actually enjoyed having a bite to eat and a chat while thier children played

tigermoth, she only in nursery, not reception..the children who came were 5 and under, mostly 3 and 4yr olds

When I have bee to nursery aged parties ALL the parents have stayed.

yeah, i think everyone has missed the ages??

It's probably not come up in your experience because of their ages, that's all.
Have just remembered I did let dd go to a party aged 2 1/2 at a shopping mall softplay creche/nursery where there were qualified staff as well as some parents. She only knew a couple of the kids and none of the grownups but she was fine, think she felt very grownup. I got to go upstairs at Starbucks for the first time because I didn't have a pushchair with me!