Well done that mum!

I am so proud of my DS and DDL who have not gone down that party route. Okay, they live abroad with good weather and space so would have a bouncy castle, but lots of silly games, usually on a theme chosen by birthday boy - Star War, Angry Birds and Captain Underpants - I can't look at my DS in the same way having seen him dressed up as the latter leading a follow-my-leader!!

Best game back in 70's was packing pudding bowl with flour,turn out like cake place sweet/coin on top. Place knife next to cake Participants file round ,person opposite handle when music stops cuts slice off cake One who eventually collapses cake must retrieve coin etc from flour probably having face pushed into flour - probably be frowned upon now -health and safety/violent!

My GD went to a 4 year old's party which I heard afterwards had cost the parents £500! They could have had a family holiday for that. Ridiculous

Agree that little girl parties are easier than little boys. Girls like organised games whereas boys love running amok. Best one I did for DS aged 7, birthday in July and having a large garden was to buy 10 cheap little water pistols, fill up various buckets, bowls of water and leave them to it. Egg sandwiches, jelly, ice cream and rice crispie cakes. A great time was had by all, especially my Mum and I who sat sipping chilled Merlot whilst watching the mayhem.

Not all boys run amok, all the time. I might boast point out that GS3, who was at the party mentioned in the OP, won the musical statutes.

So there!

Mums should just get the old games back. All the party games we had as children and for our children, It would probably be a great novelty.
Have fun and don't spend lots of money or go all sophisticated. Let the children actually play proper party games. Pin the tail on the donkey, Squeak piggy squeak. I have forgotten a lot of them myself.
At the end of one of my children's parties for 5yrolds my OH finished up just reading them all a story. They all settled down and listened intently.

I once made up a treasure hunt around the house for my two kids using clues written in rhyme. My son wanted another for his birthday and this led to several years of birthday parties which HAD to include a treasure hunt.
I finally thought I could stop doing them for my youngest child and make life easier for myself, when, a week or so before her birthday, I was handed an acceptance note from one of her friends which was accompanied with the words.."I love your parties because you always do a treasure hunt."
Talk about making a rod for your own back. ?

Whilst I agree that the old parties were great fun for children and parents, I also think that the modern ones are important in actually providing jobs for people. When bouncy castles, face painters, magicians, entertainers, photographers etc. are booked for a party it's giving work to many self employed people. I don't think we should underestimate the value of that in the current climate. Many mums themselves run their own businesses making fancy cakes and catering for parties too, so supporting them is good for the economy.

Its not only parties is it. I see people at my catholic church turning up for baptisms with hundreds of guests, glammed up to the nines... and then never to be seen again! Children making their first communion in over the top dresses. This was truly depicted on the BBC Drama "Jimmy McGovern's "Broken" last night, where one little girl making her first communion had a dress that lit up...I had to laugh but so true to reality!

I was a late May baby with Victorian dad and working mum, so, weather permitting (otherwise in our living room) we took my friends on to the Malvern Hills for picnic birthday party - sandwiches, jelly, cake and squash. Dad would organise anagram and other nice quiet puzzle competitions with prizes for the winners and all were much enjoyed by my friends.

The best children's party was when GS1 was 7. DiL, a teacher, got the use of the school gym and 'hired' two of the PE staff to organise lively games and activities. After tea, organised by DS who trained in catering, DiL took all the kids out for a run round the school field! They were all worn out (except her) when it was time to go home. I don't know how much the party cost, but, knowing my DiL's talent for getting a pound out of a penny, I'd say very little!

W11girl...our church had to lay down dress rules for First Communions because the parents were being ridiculous. Our priest banned gloves, parasols and bare shoulders. The dresses were mini wedding dresses and people were spending £hundreds. He also had to limit the number of reserved seat guests because the congregation couldn't fit in (and it was a massive church). The Parish always put on a little tea party for the children, their families and the congregation but this stopped being enough so a lot of the families then went on to big First Communion receptions with invited guests, DJs etc. Just like a wedding reception.

Most of these children were never seen in church again.

The priest then introduced a rule that said each child and at least one of their parents had to attend Mass regularly for a year prior to First Communion. Not every week but more often than not. All hell broke loose. Parents objected to being forced to attend Mass. They were not happy when they were told in no uncertain terms that First Communion was more than just a rite of passage. First Communicant numbers dropped as parents didn't want to make the commitment for something they didn't take seriously.

Lillie I appreciate that people who are having difficulty getting work can set themselves up as children's entertainers, face painters, etc. I can quite understand why someone would do this.

However, I think one of the problems in this country is that more and more people are doing fairly inessential jobs in service industries, (personal trainer, event organiser, marketing executive, interior design consultant, slimming consultant, PR consultant, etc., etc.) whilst, at the same time, the work forces of those doing vital jobs, such as nurses, teachers, police and community officers, home carers, social workers, etc..
are being depleted.

My feeling is that we need to get our priorities right. We need to be producing goods for our own consumption and for export and ensuring that vital services, such as health, education and housing are properly funded so that we have a properly educated, healthy, well housed and motivated population.

Interesting, Eloethan, I guess it's all about getting the right balance between entrepreneurial services, (at which this country excels), and those vital services you mention. The latter obviously being far more important.
Maybe our education system fails so many, and that is why these people see inessential jobs as an alternative. Maybe our chidcare provision is so poor that mothers who would otherwise be nurses or teachers find it easier to become personal trainers/therapists etc. because of the hours to suit. Moreover, unless we pay our teachers, nurses, carers more, the younger generation is not going to consider these jobs favourably.
(Slightly off topic here! I'm trying not to bring politics into a discussion on children's parties!!)