Not sure why, but it seems recently little girls b-day parties are over the top. One of my daughters is turning 13 pretty soon and all of her friends that have recently turned 13 have had huge parties. Or what I consider huge for a 13 year old party. Party vans, lavish dinners out, shopping etc. The average cost of these things is about $4,000 for the party. By the time you rent the party van for a few hours, pay for dinner for 20 girls at a four-to-five-star restaurant, and then give them each some money for shopping at the high end mall, it adds up.
so now come’s my daughter expecting the same thing. She got back from one of these parties last weekend and informed me it costs her friends parents about $5K and that is what she is expecting for hers. I politely told here there was no in hell I am paying that for a little girls B-day party. Her siblings never had parties like that and it’s simply crazy. When I was 13 I don’t recall ever having any parties anymore, and if I did it was probably a sleepover with about 10 people and watching MTV until 2am.
Am I the big jerk for not wanting to spend this on a party? I have been told the 16 birth year is going to be even more. My older kids just jumped over this stage I guess.
Anyone else shelling out thousands on B-day parties?
Not sure why, but it seems recently little girls b-day parties are over the top. One of my daughters is turning 13 pretty soon and all of her friends that have recently turned 13 have had huge parties. Or what I consider huge for a 13 year old party. Party vans, lavish dinners out, shopping etc. The average cost of these things is about $4,000 for the party. By the time you rent the party van for a few hours, pay for dinner for 20 girls at a four-to-five-star restaurant, and then give them each some money for shopping at the high end mall, it adds up.
so now come’s my daughter expecting the same thing. She got back from one of these parties last weekend and informed me it costs her friends parents about $5K and that is what she is expecting for hers. I politely told here there was no in hell I am paying that for a little girls B-day party. Her siblings never had parties like that and it’s simply crazy. When I was 13 I don’t recall ever having any parties anymore, and if I did it was probably a sleepover with about 10 people and watching MTV until 2am.
Am I the big jerk for not wanting to spend this on a party? I have been told the 16 birth year is going to be even more. My older kids just jumped over this stage I guess.
Anyone else shelling out thousands on B-day parties?
Nah, I am saving up for the trump sneakers. I thought you were too?
I’ll do you one better. My niece and nephew, who lost a child to crib death 4.5 years ago, are having a birthday party for the child tomorrow. If he had lived he would have been 5. They are inviting family and friends. My sister (the grandmother) is not happy about it but doesn’t know how to shut it down or avoid it.
I’m 800 miles away so I can bow out gracefully, but if I was in the area it would not be pleasant.
Not sure why, but it seems recently little girls b-day parties are over the top. One of my daughters is turning 13 pretty soon and all of her friends that have recently turned 13 have had huge parties. Or what I consider huge for a 13 year old party. Party vans, lavish dinners out, shopping etc. The average cost of these things is about $4,000 for the party. By the time you rent the party van for a few hours, pay for dinner for 20 girls at a four-to-five-star restaurant, and then give them each some money for shopping at the high end mall, it adds up.
so now come’s my daughter expecting the same thing. She got back from one of these parties last weekend and informed me it costs her friends parents about $5K and that is what she is expecting for hers. I politely told here there was no in hell I am paying that for a little girls B-day party. Her siblings never had parties like that and it’s simply crazy. When I was 13 I don’t recall ever having any parties anymore, and if I did it was probably a sleepover with about 10 people and watching MTV until 2am.
Am I the big jerk for not wanting to spend this on a party? I have been told the 16 birth year is going to be even more. My older kids just jumped over this stage I guess.
Anyone else shelling out thousands on B-day parties?
Nah, I am saving up for the trump sneakers. I thought you were too?
I’ve got those covered. If only they were in stock.
I’ll do you one better. My niece and nephew, who lost a child to crib death 4.5 years ago, are having a birthday party for the child tomorrow. If he had lived he would have been 5. They are inviting family and friends. My sister (the grandmother) is not happy about it but doesn’t know how to shut it down or avoid it.
I’m 800 miles away so I can bow out gracefully, but if I was in the area it would not be pleasant.
I could not imagine that loss and everyone deals with death and grief in their own way, but that seems very sad.
Nope. We stopped having large birthdays around 10 and even those were not massively expensive. Most of the parties we just had at the house with pizza, cake ice cream and party games. I don’t think we ever paid more than $20 per guest. My wife did most of the work. She complained about it, but she is happiest when making party favors. She put on a Harry Potter themed party a few years ago that the kids are still talking about.
Now we bring 2-3 friends to the local amusement park. All in maybe an extra $200 over what we would pay just for our family to go.
While my daughters haven’t been to any over the top birthday parties, I have heard of stories. Kids get picked up at school by a party bus, each kid brings home an American Girl Doll, etc. Apparently money isn’t an issue with some people.
One of my wife’s pet peeves is the ‘goodie bags’ kids give out and expect. They are often filled with plastic junk that often makes itself into the garbage within a week. We might do a little craft and that is the kid’s party gift. We also do a party at our house and not some overly expensive laser tag, bowling, etc.
Going forward, we are going to push the kid to do a fun day with 1 or 2 friends (water park, amusement park, etc.) rather than a party.
I don’t get that, expectations are being set way too high. I can’t imagine the poor people who dates these girls. It will be hard (and expensive) to live up to their expectations.
My wife and I got married at La Jolla cove. Beautiful place in the center of La Jolla right on the water. Nice ceremony, open bar, catered, DJ, just a normal wedding that wasn’t over the top but also not on a budget. A month later we were at the cove and a girl was having her quinceanera (Mexican girl’s 15th birthday) where our wedding was. Blew our wedding out of the water, just crazy.
While my daughters haven’t been to any over the top birthday parties, I have heard of stories. Kids get picked up at school by a party bus, each kid brings home an American Girl Doll, etc. Apparently money isn’t an issue with some people.
One of my wife’s pet peeves is the ‘goodie bags’ kids give out and expect. They are often filled with plastic junk that often makes itself into the garbage within a week. We might do a little craft and that is the kid’s party gift. We also do a party at our house and not some overly expensive laser tag, bowling, etc.
Going forward, we are going to push the kid to do a fun day with 1 or 2 friends (water park, amusement park, etc.) rather than a party.
We suggested perhaps taking 3 or 4 kids to a nice dinner out and fancy hotel for the night in the big city but there are just too many kids that have to be invited. It’s like picking folks to invite for your wedding…can’t leave her out, if we invite her, we have to invite her etc?
I’ll do you one better. My niece and nephew, who lost a child to crib death 4.5 years ago, are having a birthday party for the child tomorrow. If he had lived he would have been 5. They are inviting family and friends. My sister (the grandmother) is not happy about it but doesn’t know how to shut it down or avoid it.
I’m 800 miles away so I can bow out gracefully, but if I was in the area it would not be pleasant.
I’ll do you one better. One of my wife’s college friends had a miscarriage and then a subsequent child. She was always strange and had very strange overbearing parents. We saw them when the kid was young, maybe 4 or 5 and they kept referencing her sister and calling her by name, referring to the miscarried baby. As in, “I’m sure Emily would really have enjoyed a piece of cake if she were here.” And the little kid was referencing her too, almost like she was an invisible friend. At some point something was said about her (the miscarried baby’s) birthday party.
I know people grieve in different ways and deal with things in unusual ways, but it was perhaps one of the more surreal few hours of my life.
I don’t get that, expectations are being set way too high. I can’t imagine the poor people who dates these girls. It will be hard (and expensive) to live up to their expectations.
One of the best things about living in Maine is that over the top here, is underwhelming in many other places. Not very much keeping up with the Jones around here.
Kids B-day parties were the trampoline park and cup cakes, which evolved into hibachi with one or two friends.
Nah, I am saving up for the trump sneakers. I thought you were too?
I’ve got those covered. If only they were in stock.
You can spend $800 on some crappy sneakers, made by Chinese prisoners, but not a party for your kid?
Oh, don’t worry, we are going to have a party. Just trying to reign it in a little and see what everyone else does. 4 to 5K seems little steep to me. Knowing my wife and my little princess, I will most likely eventually give in and spend the money, but not be too happy about it. Not too happy about Trump shoes either, but that is to keep the little lady happy. Happy wife, happy life.
Also, what’s up with kids being sent home from birthday parties with bags of candy? When did that start and who needs to be imprisoned as a consequence?
I don’t get that, expectations are being set way too high. I can’t imagine the poor people who dates these girls. It will be hard (and expensive) to live up to their expectations.
My wife grew up poor. She used to help her parents clean the local farm bureau before school and wash USPS trucks with her dad after school so the family could pay the bills. We often talk about sending our softer-than-cottonball kids to poverty camp for a dose of real world perspective.
The entitlement attitude of kids today (though it’s not a new phenomenon, it seems pervasive lately) is astounding. I swear we are producing a generation of dysfunctional humans.
I don’t get that, expectations are being set way too high. I can’t imagine the poor people who dates these girls. It will be hard (and expensive) to live up to their expectations.
My wife grew up poor. She used to help her parents clean the local farm bureau before school and wash USPS trucks with her dad after school so the family could pay the bills. We often talk about sending our softer-than-cottonball kids to poverty camp for a dose of real world perspective.
The entitlement attitude of kids today (though it’s not a new phenomenon, it seems pervasive lately) is astounding. I swear we are producing a generation of dysfunctional humans.
My wife and I are not materialistic people, but somehow my daughter very much is. Maybe not like what we’re talking about here, but still more in that direction and I don’t get it. We did a piss poor job brain washing her. My son is pretty much middle of the road, never really talks about wanting material things in any significant way.
My wife grew up poor. She used to help her parents clean the local farm bureau before school and wash USPS trucks with her dad after school so the family could pay the bills. We often talk about sending our softer-than-cottonball kids to poverty camp for a dose of real world perspective.
I always thought it important for a kid to work a “yes, sir; no, sir” job to get perspective on working. My son worked for a plumber for a summer. It was a great experience as he was the lowest employee in the company so he had to crawl under houses, clean and organize the shop, and do other grunt work on top of learning a fairly messy and physical job. There are tougher jobs out there, but getting a taste of what physical work can be opened his eyes.
I’ll do you one better. My niece and nephew, who lost a child to crib death 4.5 years ago, are having a birthday party for the child tomorrow. If he had lived he would have been 5. They are inviting family and friends. My sister (the grandmother) is not happy about it but doesn’t know how to shut it down or avoid it.
I’m 800 miles away so I can bow out gracefully, but if I was in the area it would not be pleasant.