GroshLink

Amen! Good to read Parents Seek Simpler Birthdays. Hard work ;-) Looking forward to Friday when our groundhogs Hayley and Ellen celebrate a perfect 7 with their grandparents, Aunt Susan, Uncle Phil, and my cousins James and John.

But on Saturday they'll head to a school friend's party at Hershey's Chocolate World! Check out Birthdays without pressure if you're seeking advise for addressing

What's out of control about birthday parties today:

Party costs are skyrocketing.
The number of children exceeds what many parents can handle.
Children are getting too many presents that cost too much money.
Gift bags contain more and more junk.
Kids get over-stimulated and difficult to manage.
Themes and venues have to be cooler and better each year.
Birthday celebrations are turning into “party weeks” with several parties: family, friends, and school.
Being on the “party circuit” is stressing families’ schedules and budgets.
There is pressure to make parties perfect, original, and enriching—a once in a lifetime experience every year.

PS. Not to say that we haven't had a number of big birthday parties in the past. But their purpose has been to gather friends/family together to celebrate our life together. Each of these parties involved shared responsibility among friends/family to provide food, location, and fellowship as our relationships/community continues to grow over time. Thanks to CPYU for bringing this article to my attention!