Whistles That Didn't, Puzzles That Weren't And Sweets That Definitely Were
Posted on 2004-11-29
Lately my babysitting services have been more in demand than ever, and my ability to say 'no' is just as pathetic as it ever was. I'm actually babysitting more now than I ever did as a teenager - maybe it's because people think I have it so easy being at home all day???
This time I was asked at the last minute to organise a kids birthday party, as the mother was suddenly taken ill. Stuart, [my cousins friend whose daughters birthday it was], had to leave for work at 8:30am on Saturday, which left me three and a half hours to conjure a birthday party from the raw materials in his kitchen.
Now I completely understand the point of first birthday parties. First birthday parties mark the occasion of the mother's return to seeing people socially, and not just at clinics, baby groups, coffee mornings and the supermarket. Second birthday parties, however, are harder work altogether. Because the children aren't really aware of what's going on at second birthday parties, apart from experiencing a vague anxiety that their mothers are expecting them to behave differently from their usual, the main aim of second birthday parties is to try and prevent too many of the guests from getting upset.
To this end the kitchen morphed into a shrine of comfort eating as I stuck smarties on marshmallows, iced fairy cakes, cut up flap-jacks and chocolate crispie cakes, emptied out industrial-sized packets of crisps, washed grapes and spread jam sandwiches. Next up were the party bags which had to be stuffed with shop bought trash like whistles that didn't, puzzles that weren't and sweets that definitely were. The games were easier to organise - everyone knows musical chairs etc, but what kind of music appeals to 2-5 year olds??? As I looked through Stuarts CD collection I couldn't help thinking that some how Eminem and Khia wouldn't be appropriate. I had visions of one or more of the kids going home to their Mum and singing 'So, lick it now, lick it good, Lick this just like you should', or something equally bad.
To cut a long story short the birthday girl, Emma, and the other kids all had a great time what with playing with the gift wrap from the presents instead of the presents themselves, treading food into the carpet then puking over everything, [including me], when they ate too much, and arguing over who won the prize in pass-the-parcel, and no doubt their parents had the first peaceful Saturday afternoon they've had for a long time. I on the other hand, still haven't recovered - my screech-o-meter isn't finely tuned to block out various high-pitched shrieks of excitement from under 5's, so I still have a killer headache from the experience. And why does the smell of kiddie puke hang around for days???
[p.s. As I'm on the topic of birthdays I just thought I'd mention that Beckys is on the 2nd December, Claires is on the 3rd December and Rachels is on the 5th December so please don't forget to wish them happy birthday!!!]