Etiquette
Am I going to be socially shunned if I don’t provide a full-on party tea tomorrow? Do five 3-year-olds really need or want sausage rolls, sandwiches and chocolate fingers at 3 in the afternoon? I am leaning towards just juice* and cake to go with the musical bumps and pass the parcel but will they feel deprived not to have jelly and ice cream?
We have wine for the mummies, which is surely the important thing.
*Apple juice, of course: I tried but just could not bring myself to buy squash yesterday. I know, I know. I did buy chocolate buttons.
March 24th, 2007 19:37
I massively overcatered Becca’s second birthday last year and vowed not to do it again this year so had crisps, a couple of platesof iced biscuits (bought, not made) hot cross buns, party saveloys (at Jack’s insistence) and grapes and a cheese platter (provided by my time-poor but loaded MIL) for the grownups. And the cake, of course. And for the most part, the half-dozen kids ignored the food in favour of running around shrieking and driving tricycles into the skirting boards (weather was awful so we couldn’t turf them into the garden as hoped). I think the adults ate more of the kiddies’ food than the kids did. Keep it simple, I say — you have enough to deal with, (especially if C’s away again?) So long as Maggie enjoys herself, that’s the important thing.
Plus if you provide the exemplary perfect tea party you are only setting the bar too high for the other mums and they may secretly resent you. Unless you provide wine 😉
Happy third birthday Maggie!