The main difference is that many parties start at 4.00 p.m. In the UK this would be fine, as it would also have a finish time, normally no later than 6.00 p.m. Here some guests, quite literally, are only just turning up then!! Also it isn't that unusual for the party to be on a Sunday, with school the next day. There is no way I can let Antonia stay at a party until gone 8.00 p.m. on a Sunday and expect her to get up for school with a smile on her face the following morning!! How everyone else's children do I have no idea. Why this is acceptable, I honestly cannot fathom. Answers on a postcard. Remember these are for 5 year olds not teens!
The other difference is that here children are given their presents and then open them straight away. In the UK normally presents are opened at home when all the guests have left and then "thank you" notes are written. I prefer this. It's what I am used to but also it means stuff doesn't get lost or broken, little friends don't abscond with things ( it happens!) and if you have bought the party child the wrong thing, you don't know about it! One party we attended the little boy was given some lovely clothes by one friend, he looked at them, then just ran off, with the friend's mother calling after him for his opinion! She looked pretty gutted by his reaction!
I am really happy Antonia is being included and I am getting to know other parents this way but I am also starting to realise I can't go to all of them and when we do, I have to be firm about when we leave!
As to Antonia having one this year......30 odd kids in the garden....really not sure. I just know they would all turn up too!
3 comments:
not too mention they can be boring which equals wild kids. Luckily I always had the excuse that we didn't do things on Sunday so my poor kids never got to go.
Could you imagine trying to keep those kids only in your area!!
Lol! I'm just having the very same conversation by txt with Selda! I missed one on Saturday - you would have had no excuse ;)! - I didn't go, couldn't face my 3rd in a month! Would have felt the same in UK, but at this age we would drop the kids off, it was expected, and returned later to pick them up. But, yes, they get very wild, which is why my reservations about one this year! The playgroup were pretty good that year your mum was here though - even if Brody did manage to go home with most of the eggs from the hunt! Do you remember? :)
My son is the same age so I know what you mean! I was having kittens when we organized his party - we had to hire a hall because our flat is too small but we literally didn't know whether 3 or 30 kids were going to turn up - a nightmare for catering! Anyway it all worked out fine in the end but I am so glad it is only once a year!
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