M.D.
This time of year, I actually think it's easier. Weekends are so filled with trips and sports and more. Weeknights are much more sane for us.
My daughter turns 8 next month. She really wants to have her party on her actual birthday, which will be a thursday. We are having the party at the local indoor trampoline park. I don't think a lot of people will show up on a week night. The party will be in the evening because my husband and I both work. Would you go to a birthday party on a week night?
Marda P - thank you for the great advice about the waivers! I had forgotten about that. I will put in the invite that parents must come inside and sign the waiver before dropping their child off. Thank you everyone for taking the time to answer my question!
This time of year, I actually think it's easier. Weekends are so filled with trips and sports and more. Weeknights are much more sane for us.
We never have.
We did the party on the nearest weekend to the actual birthday and that works best for everyone.
During the summer? Totally fine!! During the school year we would not be able to. Our kids are involved in too many sports.
But we have always done weekend parties.
During the summer? Sure. During the school year, no.
Yes, I would go. Especially during the summer.
Maybe not on a school night if it wasn't early enough but definitely would go during the summer.
Yes. Feed them dinner and they will come...
Of course. I would plan to feed the guests and keep the party to about an hour to an hour and a half.
Yes. My little one that age just went to a end-of year party for one of her activities in the evening and we had to drive about 20 mins to get there. We just made it happen. It's not an every day occurrence - it's a fun outing and parents will make it happen :)
If I were doing it on a weeknight, I would meet at a pizza place, since the guest kids still have to eat dinner. It's hard for parents to get sweaty kids home and feed them after a trampoline night, and still get them to bed. If they eat dinner first, they can't be jumping around on trampolines right afterwards unless you want major belly aches and maybe worse.
If you do it, I'd at least make sure you and your husband can get off work an hour or two early so you can be there to start the party earlier, and perhaps offer to pick up some kids whose parents can't get home themselves, feed kids, and drive out to a party while getting their other kids' baths and dinner taken care of.
If your daughter is insistent, I might find 1 or 2 kids who can/will come on that date, and have her scale back her expectations. The other thing you can do is call a couple of her fiends' parents and ask if they would be able to make it (ask them not to tell their children until a decision is made). If you get 4-5 people who can come, great. If you can't, lay it out for her - the realities of morning camp activities (not sure what all her friends are doing for the summer) and what flexibility there is/isn't re bedtimes and so on.
Otherwise, don't be afraid to talk to your daughter about the virtues of a "birthday week" - a family dinner with cake/gifts on her actual day, a weekend party with friends, and maybe something else like a Sunday brunch with Grandma or Auntie Sue, whoever else is around. Build it up as a way to have more people participate.
I think a lot depends on the time of the party and how far, what the commute is like, etc. If it was a reasonable time, which to me would be like 5 to 7. and we didn't have to spend a crazy amount of time in traffic then yes I'd probably let my kid go.
But you know I have two kids with birthdays over Memorial Day Weekend and another one whose birthday sometimes falls on Thanksgiving so I've always made the call as to when/where to actually have the party, and I explained it to my kids and they understood it from a very young age. I would remind your daughter that not only will some kids not be allowed out on a school night, but some may also have sports practice, tutoring, youth group at church, etc. during the week.
This is why Saturday afternoons are so ideal, most kids are free at that point and you can simply do cake and ice cream, easy peasy.
While I'd normally say that's fine IF it's summer and they're not in school, bear this in mind: If this trampoline place is not local to everyone, those for whom it's a longer drive might be the least likely ones to bring their kids. Even if it's summer, if both parents work outside the home, they still might have to get home from the office, round up kids from various camps or babysitters etc. and get the guest kid out to the trampoline place. So if this location isn't really close in to most of the guests, I'd assume that a weeknight is still going to be very light attendance because of logistics with parents' work schedules, even if the kids are not in school. I'd still go for a weekend, unless the trampoline place is very close. And be sure to offer pizza or something substantial so folks don't have to come home, rustle up food, then go back out to the party, etc.
While I don't love parties during the week, I would go since it's the end of the year. I say have the party on her actual day during the week. Hopefully it's not too late in the evening. Just maybe don't expect everyone to make it. All that being said, I would try to make it since it's the end of the school year and we no longer have sports.
Yes I would and you would be surprised at how many people actually show up.
Have fun and many blessings to you
I think it's like any party, you can have plans on weekends just as easily. If we don't have plans on whatever day it is, we go, if we do have plans, we don't. Depends on what's going on at that time. Good luck!
Yes, I would. However, i'd talk personally to parents to see if you'll have enough guests. My grandson's 10 birthday was at a trampoline place. You actually have to know of parents will stay long enough to sign a release. Or you can print the release from their Web site and have parents sign it and give it back to you. Kids who don't have a release signed by a parent will not be allowed to jump. This happened to one of our guests. Mom gave permission over the phone. She still couldn't jump.
We served pizza and soft drinks provided by the company. My daughter wasn't able to talk with some parents. They didn't RSVP that they weren't coming. Still she had to pay for the number she'd registered for.
The parents my daughter talked with brought their children. I suggest you need to find out who is actually coming, especially on a week night.
You could also give your daughter a choice. Something smaller on her birthday and a trampoline party on the weekend. Because.parents.are working I suggest starting later, say 6:30 or 7. Schools out, yes.
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Yes, I would. However, i'd talk personally to parents to see if you'll have enough guests. My grandson's 10 birthday was at a trampoline place. You actually have to know of parents will stay long enough to sign a release. Or you can print the release from their Web site and have parents sign it and give it back to you. Kids who don't have a release signed by a parent will not be allowed to jump. This happened to one of our guests. Mom gave permission over the phone. She still couldn't jump.
We served pizza and soft drinks provided by the company. My daughter wasn't able to talk with some parents. They didn't RSVP that they weren't coming. Still she had to pay for the number she'd registered for.
The parents my daughter talked with brought their children. I suggest you need to find out who is actually coming, especially on a week night.
You could also give your daughter a choice. Something smaller on her birthday and a trampoline party on the weekend. Because.parents.are working I suggest starting later, say 6:30 or 7. Schools out, yes.
We have hosted and attended birthday parties on a school night, and never had any issues with attendance. The parties I have hosted were from 6:00pm to 9:00pm and included dinner (pizza, hot dogs etc.). I think parents appreciated not having to feed the kid on a busy weeknight.
I tend to have mine kids on Friday nights.
This time of year, with school winding down, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how many kids will show up.
Have fun!
We've turned down these invites...mostly because we have other stuff going on, like swimming lessons, soccer, etc....
Absolutely would go.
As a Mom of two summer babies, I actually think it is a safer bet to have the party on a weeknight. I find that parties on weekends during the summer are more hit or miss to get attendance because so many people go to the shore, vacation, family outings, etc. Good luck and hope you get a good turn out!