Anyone else's child find "organised" parties too much?

[Posey]

Have just returned home from a party with ds who's 3. It was a Peter Pan party. The whole place had been fabulously decorated and this woman entertained them with amazing stories and flying around neverland and a multitude of other stuff for 1.5 hours. Ds hated it Just asked to go home the whole time. As soon as we left he cheered up no end
Most people thought he was just having an off day, but to be honest I wasn't surprised he didn't like it.
Anyone else's small child not like such regimented entertainment? Couldn't they just have played?!

ds used to hate organised parties. He also hated playgroups and used to scream throughout them! He's now 4 and is a dream at parties. I left him today for his first one without me and he was apparently an angel (well, that's what they told me ).

So there is some hope!

dd2 woul,d hate that, she prefers to run off and get rid of energy. dd1 (age 6) would love iT THO.

Ds1 has been better with this kind of thing recently - say in the last 6 months - but before that he hated it and always hated the party games they were forced to do. He just wanted to dance and play - I think he disliked the formality and certainly hated any attention that might have been drawn to himself! He's just coming up to 5 now, so I'd say once he was over 4 or 4.5 he was dealing with it better!

Oh just to add, ds1 always hated the circle time type things at Tumble Tots and playgroups - he just wanted to play. Ds2 is 3.4 and he's exactly the same.

yep, my DS would have hated it too and I think an awful lot of children would. My DS just wants to play! He's 3 and a half.

I do think sometimes the party is really for the grown ups.

I think alot of it is to do with age and such an organised party might suit much older children?

No doubt about it it was a beautiful party, hugely imaginative and the entertainer worked really hard. Just not my ds's cuppa I suppose. But nice to know I'm not alone!

It was dd2's 4th birthday a couple of weeks ago, and we offered her an entertainer (though not as lavish as the one at the party you went to, by the sound of it!), but she refused. She is scared stiff of anyone dressed up (adults, that is!) and just wanted me to do a few party games and for her and her pals to run about and be giddy. Dd1 did have an entertainer (a very un-scary, non-dressed-up one!) for her 5th birthday last year, and that worked quite well with 5-y-olds.

At 3, my ds1 really hated those type of parties. Now, at 4, he tolerates them. But he would still far rather just be running around letting off steam (hence I booked soft play and bouncy castle for his party).

Someone on here said that they'd had a party each year but all they remembered now with real fondness was the cake!!

I have taken this in and shall make a humdinger of a cake each year and not worry so much about the party.