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Kids' birthday parties are out of control. It's time for the adults that throw them to get a grip.


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Charissa West
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Positivity     47.00%   
   Negativity   53.00%
The New York Times
SOURCE: https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/kids-birthday-parties-are-out-control-it-s-time-adults-ncna1048501
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Summary

© 2019 NBC NEWS.COMLike many kids who grew up in the ’80s, I went to a few friends’ and classmates’ birthday parties every year, and they were mostly simple, thrown-together affairs. The one birthday party I went to that wasn’t — the location a dingy party room in the Pizza Hut basement — was such a rarity that it still stands out in my mind 30-plus years later.The whole thing can start to feel more like a joyless death march than a celebration of life.I was in for a rude awakening when I had kids. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, I promise that there are plenty of ways to authentically and joyfully celebrate your child having made another trip around the sun.Nowhere in the parenting books does it say that inviting 30-plus kids to a party will result in a happier, more well-adjusted child, and most of your kid’s classmates — the ones who can’t quite identify your child when their parents ask, “So, who is Carter again?” —will probably never even know it happened without them.And, I promise you, most of your adult friends will appreciate keeping their Saturdays free so they can choose to lavish attention on your child in a way that’s more authentic to their relationship, less stressful for you and doesn’t require them to perch awkwardly on a chair for an hour watching a 3-year-old tear through a pile of gifts that collectively represents the cost of your car payment.As for what to share on social media — well, even if you don’t post a single picture, I promise you it really happened. (Hot IG tip: Photos of a kid blowing out their candles always go over well, and the blur from the flames makes it hard to tell that the cake was your own sloppy but loving creation.)Most of your adult friends will appreciate keeping their Saturdays free so they can choose to lavish attention on your child in a way that’s more authentic.A few weeks ago, my 10-year-old daughter Clara was invited to a birthday party for her friend and her friend’s sister, along with six or seven other kids.

As said here by Meagan Francis