Should the host child win pass the parcel?

[bizzybeing]

It's my DC's birthday party at ye weekend and I was joking with a friend that DC has put way too much thought into the prize for pas the parcel as they're never going to win it. Friend was horrified and told me that the host child should always win. Is it just me, or is that weird?? I have always tried to engineer it so that birthday child definitely gets to open a layer but never gets the final prize and thought that was the expected norm.

I was however concerned that DC would be very disappointed not to get the toy they chose so have organised for my BIL to get them the same thing as part of their birthday present which DC will be given the day before the party.

We always had pass the parcel as the last game. It was always a musical instrument, like a whistle, cheap recorder or drum, and it was engineered so that the worst behaved child won it. There was no feeling better than seeing the winner joyously tooting loudly and tunelessly as his mother drove him away.

Every party I've ever known, the birthday child wins pass the parcel.

I fix it so that DD doesn’t win it but my favourite child amongst her friends that year does. So it’s not totally random! Only done it about twice though as we’ve had our fill of big parties 😬

Of course the host child shouldn't win the prize! Your friend is wrong.

Lucky's dad's rules all the way.

No extra bits between layers, every stop of the music totally random.

I hate pass the parcel. No-one comes out feeling good except the winner, everyone else has sat there for 15 minutes hoping the adult doesn't miss stopping the music on them to give them a layer prize, one kid always unwraps too many layers and nothing is done about the unfairness, or worse, the person controlling the music actually does it blind and there's some kids with a massive stash of sweets/whatever and some with none. Least favourite party game after the maim your friends extravaganza that is musical chairs.

Host child is the one that definitely shouldn't win - they're getting the birthday presents after all.

Of course not!

I cam here to see if someone would say this 😂 I agree. Lucky's dad's rules ftw!

I am clearly the worst mother in the world.
No presents in between the layers, DD never won the central prize and no party bags!

I couldn't believe I was on page 2 of comments and got to be the first one to mention Lucky's dad 😀

I've always done it that the birthday child wins the main prize and everyone wins a layer including. I used to run children's parties and it was the best way to avoid hurt feelings and parents all seemed to expect it.

We have been to a few parties when hired entertainers have organised pass the parcel and the birthday child always wins this. With a mum or other family member doing the organising it it is usually just random.

@DappledThings I was surprised too! Man I love Bluey 😂

I can remember being little and going through loads of parties with pass the parcel and us all knowing the rules (if you've already opened a layer pass it on to the next child) and that who got the last layer was random. We were all still of the age when parents would stay.

Then, towards the end of the school year, this one precious Mum going "oh no darling, pass it to Birthday girl,
the last one is for her" to the kid that was holding it last and gazing adoringly as her daughter got this amazing present (it was either a big doll or a big teddy, can't remember now) and making a huge deal of "isn't it beautiful darling? What are you going to call it? Isn't it a lovely surprise?" And all the parents looking so bemused. Really awkward moment when all the 4/5 year olds starting saying "that's not the rules!!! It's who is holding it when the music stops!!!" and parents all swooping in to distract. Didn't help that bday girl had also won a few previous layers and had built a little pile of sweets and tat up in front of her while most kids had nothing.

Anyway her mother did that EVERY year until we were about 10 and insisted when some kids would get upset that they'd been forced to pass their turn to Bday Girl that "you'll get the chance to win the big prize at YOUR birthday party. It's MY dd's special day, now no one likes a bad loser, your mummy will be very disappointed in you."

Everybody's mummy and daddy thought she was a prize twit and that her daughter was quite spoiled.

One year little siblings were invited and a tiny one became distraught at the end when he was forced to give the parcel up. One Mum who had clearly been pissed off for years loudly went, "Do you know what, Sammy? I think if you come here, I've still got some presents from Lucy's party bags in my handbag, would you like one for winning?" Total lie, she'd obviously got sick of watching other kids being made to feel like sick at Verruca Salt's birthday parties over the years and decided to step in. Hero!

Party entertainers had always let the birthday boy/girl wins that's what I've noticed 😜