young children are faced with a myriad of questions about what they should or should not do for their youngster’s upcoming birthday party. And while parties are usually a blast for children, they can often create a boatload of stress for any parents involved. One of the biggest reasons that a


Etiquette Y


important at any age


Story by Sarah Reed ear after year, parents of


child’s birthday parties can be such a nightmare is because the children may have difficulty behaving. Before you have a party for your child or before your child attends a


party, it is important to take some time to sit the little tyke down and talk about some ground rules. It is also a good idea to remind your child that they cannot behave like a diva on their birthday because, contrary to what they may believe, they are not the king or queen of the universe. Depending on age, the child


should greet their guests and thank everyone for coming. Something else that may also save embarrassment later is to encourage children to thank everyone for the presents that they will receive, even if they do not like it. When calculating how long the


birthday party should last, it should be based off of the age of the child. If your child is anywhere from one


to three years old, then it is a good idea to shoot for a one-hour party around 10 a.m. Children four to seven years of age can generally handle an extra half an hour for games and activities in the afternoon. If your child is eight or older then two hours should be an adequate amount of time, possibly including a sleepover. In hopes to not overwhelm


younger children, as far as birthday invitations go, it is generally a good


rule to invite as many kids as your child’s age plus one. Some say that a child should


invite his/her entire class to the party in order to not hurt anyone’s feelings, but sometimes, that can get expensive. One thing that families can do to cut costs is make the birthday bash a gender-specific party which will most likely cut the guest list in half. Some parents only invite the child’s closest friends that they spend the most time around. If you are still worried about including the entire class, you could ask your child’s teacher if it would be acceptable to send cupcakes, donuts or brownies to class in order to extend the birthday celebration to other classmates. Be sure to include clear


information on the invitations about the type of party, the date, time and location in addition to a name that can be contacted for RSVP. Do not write things like “RSVP to my mommy” without mentioning a name because if parents do not know the name of the hostess, it can make it awkward to ask for the child’s mommy when calling to RSVP.


Be specific about what will be


going on at the party. Parents need to know things like whether or not to feed their child beforehand or if they need to be picked up some place else afterwards. It is also important to write out things like “bring a change of clothes” or “bring a swimsuit” so the parent does not have to pick up a soaking wet child that jumped into the pool fully clothed because he/ she did not bring the proper attire. Lastly, thank-you notes are


absolutely essential birthday etiquette. If someone took the time to buy a gift for your child, it should not be too much trouble to send them a card thanking them for doing so. If the child is not old enough to know how to write, sorry parents, this responsibility falls on you. You can jot a quick thank- you note to friends and family members and have your child sign their name or even draw a picture.


❤


Sarah Reed can be reached at sareed@yumasun.com or 539- 6858.


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