25-01-2007, 08:54 AM
My aunt spends a fortune each year. For my cousins 18th he and his 'closest' 8 friends where flown to Prague for 4 days. When they returned there was a huge 18th birthday party for the family and his friends plus his sisters friends. This slipped out (as niether myself nor my boet were invited) by younger cousin to my mother. Waste of money was the reply.
In the same vain he was given a new car and wrote it off.
Our little one has parties but the kids are happy with a few cheap plastic toys, a piece of cake and traditional party games - musical chairs, pass the parcel etc. They all go home happy. OK so little one is getting a tad greedy and expects pressies from all those invitied. So much so she has started to invite boys to her party (she's 7). I, alas am not allowed to go as its one of the few times of the year her mother decides to be a mother - thinking that buying expensive gifts will keep her daughter loving her - DVD, TV, MP3, quad bike. This impresses little one for a while but then she goes back to playing with her geomags (£1.89) or some such 'cheap' toy.
It is more to do with parents outdoing one another and trying to buy love - which does not work.
I think we have to get back to basics, If our children come home with expensive goodie bags take them back explaining that they are not needed. If that means she/he loses a friend then they weren't real friends anyway.
In the same vain he was given a new car and wrote it off.
Our little one has parties but the kids are happy with a few cheap plastic toys, a piece of cake and traditional party games - musical chairs, pass the parcel etc. They all go home happy. OK so little one is getting a tad greedy and expects pressies from all those invitied. So much so she has started to invite boys to her party (she's 7). I, alas am not allowed to go as its one of the few times of the year her mother decides to be a mother - thinking that buying expensive gifts will keep her daughter loving her - DVD, TV, MP3, quad bike. This impresses little one for a while but then she goes back to playing with her geomags (£1.89) or some such 'cheap' toy.
It is more to do with parents outdoing one another and trying to buy love - which does not work.
I think we have to get back to basics, If our children come home with expensive goodie bags take them back explaining that they are not needed. If that means she/he loses a friend then they weren't real friends anyway.