Gosh, haven't written in ages (too much work and stuff going on). So just a quick post to say that my girl's hitting the party scene with her school chums. After no parties since forever, suddenly it's everyone's birthday. Which brings me to the point of this post.
Her first party this season was at one of those kids' ball park places. Not a huge place, but big enough to be staging 2/3 parties at a time (or may be 2 parties and a few non party kids there on spec). Now my girl's 5 and three quarters, so are most of her friends with one or two a bit younger and one or two a bit older (six!).
So it never ceases to amaze me (it didn't last year when we held her party at one of these places) just how many parents just dump their kids and go. Admittedly hanging around drinking overpriced coffee for a couple of hours isn't everybody's idea of fun - but then it's not supposed to be for the adults is it?
I stayed, I always do, but stayed right out of the way and let the girls just have fun. Whereas last year I had to do following around, this time I didn't I just watched from a far. And my girl completely forgot I was there - which is good. So that meant I could just leave... er no I don't think so. I wouldn't leave, especially when the party is in a public place like a ball park, where anybody could come in. I know a lot of the parent's by sight, but not all the school kids, so isn't it incumbent on the parent to look after their kids?
Sharon (mum of girl who's party is was), was over got with telephone numbers of parents who couldn't be bothered staying. But what happens if something goes wrong? Well I can think of three things that could go wrong: child gets upset, child has a bumb (of differing degree of severity) and child goes missing. Now parent in charge of party can deal with the first two, but the third...? I know it's not nice to think about, and it's probably sensationalised in the press, but these things do happen. And I know from last years experience I simply couldn't keep track of 20+ kids of whom I only really know five-or-so.
So how come these other parents just bugger off?! The worst I would do is leave the building and sit in my car for the two hours, I mean two hours isn't long is it? Especially with ipods, mp3 players and a good book. But why when your child is so young do you just leave them.
Case in point in this party, two girls collided (accident) and one ended up with a huge (I mean huge) gray egg on her forehead. Obviously her parents didn't give a monkeys...
