Birthday Parties

 I have two children who go to a freaking ton of birthday parties. We pretty much attend every single birthday party we are invited to. Unless we are out of town or something, we arrange our schedules to make sure that our kids attend these parties. In an average year I buy WAY more toys for other kids than I do my own children. It's all my dad's fault. About 4 years ago when I went back to work, the kids were in pre-school and started coming home with these birthday invites. On one random Friday night my dad was over and he asked what I was doing for the weekend and I said that my daughter had been invited to a party but that we probably weren't going to go. You would of thought I told him I was planning to murder people and cannibalize them. He seem really bothered. "You are taking her to the birthday party." "Ummmm.....probably not." He gave me this long lecture, "When you were a kid, you went to every birthday party. What if it was your kid? Can you imagine planning a party and then barely anyone shows up? What if all the other parents decide they aren't going to go to the party? That kid will be so disappointed and have her feelings hurt. You are taking her to the party and if you don't - I will." He was very passionate about it and it struck a cord with me. I took her to the birthday party.

Every time we get an invitation, I hear his voice in my head. Sometimes we have 2-4 parties in a weekend. It ebbs and flows. This month is a crazy month for birthdays...must be nothing on TV historically in March. We have a birthday party Friday night, Disney on Ice Saturday afternoon, another birthday party Saturday night and another quasi-birthday party on Sunday afternoon. Holy Hell! The following weekend we will be celebrating all weekend in Myrtle Beach because my hubby will be 30!

This past weekend my daughter was invited to a sleep over birthday party and she was so excited because it is a friend from her old school and she was planning all week. We were 45 minutes late because of traffic from the fair (which someone got stabbed at.....how ghetto). She was so anxious the car ride over. When we pulled up to the driveway the house was dark. No cars. I pulled out the phone and pulled up the e-mail and I got the date wrong - it was the following Saturday. My poor daughter was so upset. She sobbed. I felt so bad. Bad mom award for me. It wasn't all a wash. We had a dinner date planned with friends that night who have an amazing child that my kids love. Her playroom was pretty awesome. I realized that we indeed have a active social life - even if it only consists of events with jump castles, pta meetings, and playdates!