https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 16 Jul 2026 15:05:45 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2520334 Sat, 09 Apr 2016 07:31:21 +0000 ms.line 2520334@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a lot of kid parties growing up: a McDonald's party, a Little Mermaid party (where we gave out live goldfish as favors!? wtf), a magic party, a gymnastics party, a Chinese New Year themed party, a sleepover party where we all got our hair done in African braids, etc. I think my last party was when I was 12 - we got mehndi tattoos at an occult shop. Once I became a teenager we just started doing a special dinner with cake. </p> <p>My mom was so into throwing parties and I'm just not! Makes me feel bad for my LO already! 😂 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2520271 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 22:44:02 +0000 Mrs. High Heels 2520271@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Never had parties growing up! We try not to go overboard with the LO's parties, but we do try to celebrate them in some way and find ways to make them feel special. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2520270 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 22:39:59 +0000 autumnlove 2520270@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Had two combined parties with my brother. I think at age 3 and 8? I wanted more parties but my parents weren't into it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2519728 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 11:38:54 +0000 Anonymous 2519728@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Me: usually nothing but close family, some kind of dessert and a present or two. I actually only remember one party when I was 7. The most popular girl in the school had hers the same day. I found out the hard way that everyone went to hers and only one friend came to mine. I waited on the balcony for hours waiting for someone :( I think it was the only party my mom really went all out for. Luckily I have lots of cousins but man, does the memory still sting!</p> <p>LO's: Extravagant! I go all Martha for the kids parties. I design celebration stationery so there are always really nice invites and then it snowballs from there with decor, food, etc. I can't help myself! ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2519723 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 11:33:12 +0000 yoursilverlining 2519723@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Anagram: I wish we had been friends growing up! Dang, your parties sound awesome. I'd love to go to that Barbie one now! :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2519688 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 11:04:48 +0000 travellingbee 2519688@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a party every year until I was a teenager. Then I didn't want them because I worried about people not coming. Weird insecurities. The parties were usually at home although I did have a skate party and an ice cream party. Hmmm maybe bowling too. </p> <p>DS1 has had a party each year and we will continue to as long as he wants one. Family and friends. I prefer not at home so I don't have to clean! :silly: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2519683 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 11:02:02 +0000 youboots 2519683@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a teddy bear tea at 5 or 6- the photos are adorable. My parents have a pool and I was born in May so I remember several pool parties. They also threw me a massive sweet 16 party but they shut it down early because kids were drinking in the bathrooms &amp; parking lot. </p> <p>We had a big 1st party for DD and will likely have pretty large parties in the future since that seems to be the norm for our friends. I don't get intense about details though. Its nice to just have everyone together. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2519659 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 10:45:22 +0000 T.H.O.U. 2519659@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I really remember my parties mostly because I had a pinterest mom that did everything homemade (mostly to be cheap). They were just home parties, but I remember picking the theme and designing the invitations for my 5th birthday. It was an "Art" party and we cut out invites to look like paint pallets and at the party we did fun craft/art stations. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2519552 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 09:26:09 +0000 Anagram 2519552@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My parties were bigger. About every 2-3 years, I would have a bigger party. In between years, it was just the dinner of my choice (that mom cooked, not like..takeout) and cake at home. One year, I asked for breakfast for dinner and a tower of honeybuns as my cake, and my mom did it.</p> <p>Big birthdays were:<br /> -a Strawberry shortcake birthday at McDonalds when I was 4 (having a birthday at McDonalds back then was super cool)<br /> -Having a Barbie themed party where we all dressed as specific barbies, and my mom set up our Family room in Barbie locations (A stage for rock star Barbie, a blow up pool with water and real sand for Beach Barbies, a castle for Princess Barbie).<br /> -5th grade I got to invite 8 girls to sleep over and go to the fanciest restaurant in our small city--on the 25th floor of the Bank of America building. We all wore "fancy" (ie. church dresses) dresses, and had cherries jubilee for dessert that was set on fire.<br /> -7th grade I had a joint party with my older brother and my parents rented out the country club and we invited almost 200 kids--we had the pool and hot tubs and indoor tennis and volleyball and racquetball courts to ourselves. With the money we got from that party, we each opened our first checking account. That was my last party and after that, I was grown up and would receive practical things for my birthday like new tennis shoes, haha.</p> <p>With LO1, we've only had low key family parties thus far. My husband hates spending money, so I don't forsee any lavish parties in our future. I'm sure we'll do sleepovers and stuff when the girls are old enough. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2519516 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 08:57:09 +0000 yoursilverlining 2519516@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Similar. I always had a party growing up, whatever theme I wanted. My mom organized a craft to do at the party (I still remember the year we all made pet rocks! Hello early 90’s!) and there were decorations, etc. Definitely not Pinteresty, but my mom is an artist and was a SAHM so she had the talent and time to get things pulled together. Cake from scratch, food served, pretty much always at home.</p> <p>LO’s parties are pretty much the same, except now of course Pinterest gives me a billion ideas for each party. We haven’t done a craft yet at her parties, but I think we might with birthday #4 coming up. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2519455 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 08:10:56 +0000 snowjewelz 2519455@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I remember I had a big party at church once, and then one at home, don't remember the rest! So far we just had a bday party at my parent's for DD's first birthday. I'm not sure if we'll do an official party again till she's older.... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2519367 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 06:49:57 +0000 looch 2519367@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I mostly had parties at home, although, there was one that was at our pool club and wouldn't you know it RAINED, lol. My poor mom, another time she tried to have a party at a paint your own ceramics place for me and the place forgot, lol.</p> <p>My son has had one party for his 5th birthday, it was at an offsite location. Otherwise, it's been cake at home. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2519364 Fri, 08 Apr 2016 06:47:31 +0000 regberadaisy 2519364@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had exactly two birthday parties growing up. Mostly it was like any other day until I was older. My brothers had started working by then and would always get me presents and cake. Because of that I make a big deal of my kids birthdays. Not meaning spend gobs of money on things. But it is always celebrated, even if it's just us doing fun things as a family. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2519287 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 23:48:30 +0000 lamariniere 2519287@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Similiar. </p> <p>Me: I had a few (1-2?) friends birthday parties as a kid, but mostly it was just a family party with my parents and brother. </p> <p>Kids: so far just family parties except for my DS's 5th, we finally had a friends party. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2519172 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 20:20:46 +0000 jhd 2519172@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Me: my parents would let me invite a bunch of girls over for a sleepover. </p> <p>LO: so far we have only had one birthday party. He had both sets of grandparents, all his cousins, and most aunts and uncles. This was not something I had growing up as our family lived far away. I look forward to making him a cake each year as long as he will let me! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/birthday-parties-growing-up-your-lo-versus-yours#post-2519033 Thu, 07 Apr 2016 18:26:09 +0000 mrbee 2519033@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>ME: Sometimes there would be a Duncan Hine's cake in it for me after dinner. But usually just my brother and I would wish each other a happy birthday (we are twins).</p> <p>LOs: Definitely a cake, and usually an all-day celebration too ending in a party. I don't like birthday parties (see above) but the kids love them so much that I just deal with it. </p>