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Ok, my wife and I were having a discussion about this today.....my daughter is having her 5th birthday party this coming weekend (I can't believe it). We're having it at one of those indoor bounce house places. It is scheduled to last about 2 hours.
We have about 17 kids coming, and they range in age with no kids over 10 years old. We have had numerous parents say they were coming and were excited about the chance to go have a lunch "date" with each other while leaving their kids at the party. The 2 couples that have said this did not ask if we minded watching their kids. One couple has 2 kids coming ages 6 & 10 which I really don't mind since the 10 year old is pretty responsible (she's still 10 though). The other couple has 2 kids ages 6 & 4....do you think this is out of line to:
1: Just leave your kids unattended at the party
2: If you are doing so, to assume that we are going to watch their kids for 2 hours
They're going to a 5 year olds party ... i don't think there should be an expectation of an independent outing - especially at a large party
That is still young enough that it takes a lot of eyes and some interaction to keep things moving ..... also seems odd that they would proclaim that's what they are doing instead of talking to you guys about it
Thats what I think....if there was no birthday party and they were going to go to the Bounce House place anyway would they just leave their kids to roam free?
Ok, my wife and I were having a discussion about this today.....my daughter is having her 5th birthday party this coming weekend (I can't believe it). We're having it at one of those indoor bounce house places. It is scheduled to last about 2 hours.
We have about 17 kids coming, and they range in age with no kids over 10 years old. We have had numerous parents say they were coming and were excited about the chance to go have a lunch "date" with each other while leaving their kids at the party. The 2 couples that have said this did not ask if we minded watching their kids. One couple has 2 kids coming ages 6 & 10 which I really don't mind since the 10 year old is pretty responsible (she's still 10 though). The other couple has 2 kids ages 6 & 4....do you think this is out of line to:
1: Just leave your kids unattended at the party
2: If you are doing so, to assume that we are going to watch their kids for 2 hours
What say you?
I wouldn't mind the 10 year old and his/her sibling, but leaving a 6 and 4 year old without being told it's OK is nervy. I know people who have done this, and I don't understand it. After the last party I attended where I saw people leaving 4 year olds and taking off to go shopping (and then sometimes coming back really late!) I always put it right on the invitation that an adult will need to stay and supervise. I think it's kind of shocking that people don't assume that, but I know pretty normal, nice people who don't, so it must be kind of common. Still, I'd send out a note saying that unless there is a responsible sibling, it would be safer for all if an adult stayed to supervise. Bounce houses can be dangerous.
Tell them at least one parent is required to stay. I wouldn't normally say that for a party, but a bounce house is different. Every bounce house party I've attended has had at least one injury and multiple kids leave in tears. My high school kids were at one recently where a 16-year-old broke his leg.
It galls me when people leave siblings, too. Usually it's a sibling who causes the most trouble.
Honestly, IMHO, you have too many kids invited, and the age range is not safe for that activity.
At least get all parents' cell phone numbers before they leave. Hopefully the place required parents to sign a waiver.
If you are going to have more children than you and your spouse can supervise comfortably, then you need to hire someone, or ask an adult relative or two to come and help watch the kids. Not their parents! Parents have no business at a birthday party! If I were a kid, I would HATE for my parent to be at a birthday party, that would ruin all the fun.
I'd definitely rethink the bounce house thingy. Read the article referenced below if you don't think they are dangerous. There is a lot to be said for Pin the Tail on the Donkey.
"In fact, a study in the scientific journal Pediatrics reveals that in the two decades from 1990 to 2010, nearly 65,000 children were injured in inflatable accidents–the equivalent of 31 per day, or one child hurt every 46 minutes. The study’s co-author, Dr. Gary A. Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, says of the inflatable injuries, “If this was an infectious disease, we’d call it an epidemic, and it would be on the front pages all over the country.”
I did not leave my kids at birthdays until they were 8 or so. I don't mean little kid-only gatherings at the birthday child's house where I knew the parents... I mean birthday parties held in public places like the bowing alley or the park or bouncy house places. No way would I drop off a 4 or 5 year old at a public area like that, unless I knew there were a bunch of parents staying who could handle various kids needing to go to the bathroom at different times, etc.
Well, chances are good that the facility will provide supervision. But, you made a rookie mistake. First of all, you invited an unmanageable amount of kids, and also that they fall across a pretty big age range. What appeals to 5 year olds won't necessarily keep a 10 yr old entertained, and now you have to worry about older kids knocking down younger ones.
If you wanted the parents to stay, then you needed to say so from the get-go. On top of that, you would need to be prepared to offer them some sort of refreshment, and be prepared for siblings to tag along.
At this point, I would call the place it's being held, and make sure they have sufficient help to make things run smoothly. Bring cash to tip the help, it's expected.
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