Did you have birthday parties

as a child? You must know what I mean a party on or near your birthday with a special cake, your friends running madly around after you had opened the presents they had given you, that special "party dress" or new t-shirt with the racing car on the front. There would be raspberry cordial, tiny pies and pasties, jelly and ice cream. Games would be organised by the adults when you would rather just have been racing around with the new football or giggling over the toy "make up". 

I never actually went to a party like that but I did hear about them, a lot of them. We did not have them in our family but I know other people did. As children I don't think we really missed them. Very little fuss was made about birthdays. It would be fair to say none was made about mine. It is on a day of the year when most people are getting ready to party. It was always in the middle of the school holidays. Two of my three siblings faced the same problem as did my parents. Birthday parties were not a thing in our family.

But they are in some families. It seems some people are going to extreme lengths even when money is short. There is a story in this morning's paper about a couple who have just spent ten thousand dollars on a birthday party for their one year old daughter, a party they acknowledge she will not even remember. Another mother has admitted to lesser expenditure, around a thousand dollars for a nine year old.

Perhaps there is something wrong with me but I found the first one ridiculous and the second one not much less so. How can you justify spending that sort of money on that sort of event? 

The one year old will not remember. When she turns two it will not matter if her parents finally see sense and don't even bother with a party. At two years of age she will not remember either.

It is different for the nine year old. She will remember. What will she expect at ten, at eleven, at twelve and on into her teens? Will she expect bigger and better every year? What else will she expect? 

The Senior Cat was sometimes asked to a child's birthday party as "the magician". The occasions he enjoyed the most were the smaller events. There would be just a few children. The event would be held in the birthday child's home. On one occasion there were just four young guests and he spent time teaching them how to do a simple trick. The mother later told him it had been voted "the best party ever". Her children played at being magicians for months afterwards.

I am not a "party" sort of person but I know some people enjoy them. Am I wrong to suggest that children do not need expensive parties, do not really appreciate them? I still think it would be better to put the money aside so they can do or have something they really need later in life and just have a simple celebration.