As a parent planning a birthday party, you know it isn’t easy. I remember when I was a kid, it seemed like it meant just cake and ice cream at your house, and the whole neighborhood of kids would come over, and it was a fun afternoon. Now it means party planners, caterers, and party locations all the kids in the class will enjoy.
But the biggest stress for me in planning a birthday party is the RSVP situation. Granuaile’s birthday party this year is in six days, and with the RSVP deadline looming in less than 48 hours, I have only gotten 2 – count ’em – TWO RSVPs. I’ve sent out about 20 invitations. Yes, my fellow party planning parents, panic has set in.
I don’t want to be obnoxious and start calling people. And I am definitely second guessing my decision to have the party at 7:30 on a Saturday night. My thinking was that because she wanted a Cosmic birthday party (where the lights are out and everything glows), it would be cool to do it at night; and on a Saturday night, the kids could go straight from the party, home to bed. Or maybe it’s the location? Granuaile has attended two parties at this place, and she loves them and insisted on her party being here. Now I wonder if I should have talked her out of it.
It doesn’t take much time to RSVP to an invitation. I always include my email address for the phone-a-phobes like myself, and I put our phone number for those people who are doing their paperwork and going through mail in the car line at school (yeah, that’s me). So I’m not sure why people don’t RSVP.
Of course, I can say this with just a little bit of smugness, as the invitations that have been sitting on my desk have all been RSVPd to in the past couple of days. But maybe I’m a dying breed?
So, with less than a week away, do we think of rescheduling the much anticipated by Granuaile birthday party, or be obnoxious and make phone calls?
Next year, I’m so just taking them to dinner and a movie on their birthdays!
UGH.