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Parties/celebrations

Whether you're planning a birthday or a hen do, you'll find plenty of ideas for your celebration on our Party forum.

Original poster

Sigh, it's started.... the weekend afternoons spent in hell

33 replies

KBear · 04/10/2006 14:11

Hell = soft play places.

DS invited to his first reception year birthday party on Saturday. THREE hours at a soft play place, I won't leave him there so I will have to stay and suffer the noise and hell! I know it's a good excuse to get to know the other mums etc etc but I have so much to do at the weekend I don't want to go -

OP posts:
oliveoil · 04/10/2006 14:13

yep, I have 2 invites already, plus dd1 has her own torture date (read: party) as well.

hey ho

throckenholt · 04/10/2006 14:15

3 hours is a long time for reception year kids - how about turning up half an hour late ?

nailpolish · 04/10/2006 14:15

god i know what you mean

its my dd1's birthday tomorrow, and its pissing me off that everyone ASSUMED i was going to invite her and 50 other children to the soft play

i am instead taking dd1 and dd2 swimming, then inviting her 2 close friends round for tea

we might even squeeze in a morning down at the beach, in the rock pools, which is her favourite thing ever

i mentioned this to a couple of other mums who looked at me like i ws insane they obviously wont be joining me then

TwigTwoolett · 04/10/2006 14:16

he's old enough to be left now

so you're really subjecting yourself to the hell

no pity

nailpolish · 04/10/2006 14:17

can you IMAGINE what creatures lurk in that ball pit

Marina · 04/10/2006 14:18

KBear if it is where I think it is then

  1. I wouldn't leave any child of mine there either it is chaos
  2. Don't forget the Migraleve and some earplugs [sympathy emoticon]
Marina · 04/10/2006 14:19

np - we once had to do a fan-out-and-dig at a party after a child whose parent had very wisely left the building lost its tights, pants and skirt in a festering ball pit (long story, it was all-in wrestling).
The stuff we found down there

WelshBOOris · 04/10/2006 14:21

NP

Your party sounds great much better than a chav infested fruit shoot fueled nightmare

Original poster
KBear · 04/10/2006 14:21

Twig - there is no way I am leaving DS who is just five at a soft play place in an undesirable neck of the woods with a parent I have never met, with god alone knows how many other kids to watch over. Nope, no way.

Also my children have a long and distinguished history of being the ones that leave the said hellish soft play areas with bumps on their heads the size of a semi-detached house.

OP posts:
TwigTwoolett · 04/10/2006 14:22

then NO PITY

Original poster
KBear · 04/10/2006 14:23

Marina - supportive as ever!

OP posts:
Original poster
KBear · 04/10/2006 14:23

Twig - you are evil and I am disappointed in you!

OP posts:
nailpolish · 04/10/2006 14:24

Marina - LOL! i cant bear to think...

WelshB - thanks

Bozza · 04/10/2006 14:26

Do you know I rather foolishly stayed with DS at his first couple of soft play parties in reception. DS is confident and sensible and has been to countless parties at these places with nursery. I have learnt.

He is going to a disco bounce party in a village hall on Sunday. No way am I staying. Now the problem is that DD has started getting invited to parties so I have to stay. But a party of 2/3yos in soft play infinitely preferable to a party of 5/6 yos in soft play.

Original poster
KBear · 04/10/2006 14:28

I also think it's a bit much to expect the parent holding the party to be responsible for my child and all the others.

OP posts:
Marina · 04/10/2006 14:34

When we have stayed the parents have always needed extra adults for loo breaks, concussion checks etc Kbear. We've felt on balance we'd want to keep an eye on ours as well as the others. Is this T E by the way?

TwigTwoolett · 04/10/2006 14:35

mwahahahahaahahahahaahahaaaaaaaaaa

WelshBOOris · 04/10/2006 14:36

twigllllllllleeeeeeeeettttttttt

i loveeeeeeeeee youuuuuuuuuuuuu

Bozza · 04/10/2006 14:36

DS is quite capable of taking himself to the loo at the ones I have left him at. Wouldn't leave him at Brewsters though because it is public and open and the loos are out in the pub.

nailpolish · 04/10/2006 14:37

kbear you dont have to go

these places are so unhealthy

i dont take my dd's to one in particular place, another is not quite so bad

Original poster
KBear · 04/10/2006 14:42

Marina - it is T E - the worst one IMO!!

I can't say he can't go to his new friend's party, the first invitation of his own he's had. Can I? CAN I? No, I can't, mummy guilt just kicked in.

OP posts:
Original poster
KBear · 04/10/2006 14:43

Oh, and it's MacDonalds afterwards too for another half an hour. Forgot THAT bit. Dear God, how will I cope?

OP posts:
Marina · 04/10/2006 14:46

We are refusing point blank to trudge over to the much more salubrious but distant Gambado for a Sunday morning party in a fortnight...am actually citing attendance at church Harvest Lunch (true) to get out of it. It will take an entire morning though - and we have another party the previous day as well.
Dh very nobly does T E as I don't drive and it is not easy to get to (I do the noisy but fun Firepower at the Arsenal ones though ). He says it is a bloody pit of hell. The lost pants happened at that barking little place in Hither Green - have you had to go there yet .

Bozza · 04/10/2006 14:51

McDonalds afterwards? What is the point of that? Don't they get fed at soft play?

nailpolish · 04/10/2006 14:51

i also hate it when the mothers go there and sit on their arses (some of them knitting, reading Bella and/or drinking tea) yakking to their mates

i think sometimes they go there cos they dont actually have to play or even talk to their children

not that you sound even remotely like that kbear