Extravagant birthday parties

My daughter received an invitation to a birthday party last weekend which would make it the 6th birthday party she has attended since January this year.

Birthday parties these days are such elaborate affairs. So far my daughter’s been to parties with bouncy castles, clowns, face painters and full-range buffets. Add that to the Science-themed parties, Kidzone & Kidsport parties, pool & bowling parties. These are birthday parties for 7 year olds!

When I was growing up, birthday parties are almost always low-key affairs. The best we could afford was a party at home with family & a few friends, the highlight being the birthday cake. It’s different these days. The kids demand more … even Ol’ Ronald McDonald is no longer in demand these days.

I haven’t even started on the party packs yet! In kindergarten I would make party packs filled with candy for her friends at school. Party packs for Jr. 1 are a different thing altogether. The ones she’s received this year are not candy anymore, instead the packs come in tidy little backpacks filled with toys, books and stickers. I suspect it would cost the parents a tidy sum for each bag so imagine how much it’ll cost for a party with 30 – 40 kids.

The stakes are raised higher and higher each year. It’ll be interesting to see how high it’ll get next year.

I wonder if this trend is exclusive to Malaysia only or is this the trend in other countries too?