Pamper parties for children

snowberryz you are making an assumption that all children attending will also want a pamper party in my experience (5 children, 8 GC) children want a different party than their friends. I can remember having many conversations at the school gate with other mums trying to think of a different party from what their other class mates had.

Vintagejazz children have always copied/play acted like grown ups, do you object to them playing mummy’s and daddy’s (might lead to multiple marriages) do you object to them playing with dolls (might lead to being a single parent).

As for nosecco drink parties. Many restaurants have mocktail lists for those who do not want an alcoholic drink, fun fruity drinks with fruit and and an umbrella, what’s not to like?

You still didn't answer my question re small children having pretend drinks parties to celebrate their birthdays.

And mocktails are usually aimed at adults who don't want alcohol.

Calling females, vulgar, lower class and common?

A good many examples of such females exist GG. Does the sisterhood not allow us to acknowledge that?

MissAdventure, I disagree - and think of it as a 'lower class' thing - or vulgar, quite frankly. The women around here who haunt the beauty parlours, hairdressers, nail bars etc. (those with the funny cartoon eyebrows and pouty lips) are certainly not middle class

Hilarious! I didn’t realise Hyacinth read GN,

“Around here” gives it away though, the beauty parlours and hairdressers in Mayfair and Knightsbridge must be having a lean time of it. And don’t say here aren’t any!

Vintagejazz

You still didn't answer my question re small children having pretend drinks parties to celebrate their birthdays.

And mocktails are usually aimed at adults who don't want alcohol.

I have never heard of pretend drinks parties so I have no idea of the format.

I did allow my children to have mocktails usually on holidays or if we were out for a special occasion meal as opposed to our usual Friday night dinner at local restaurant. Our AC also allow GC a mocktail on special occasions.

I can see absolutely nothing wrong with a small glass of nosseco for a birthday/wedding/anniversary toast.

My Gdd recently had her 7th birthday party, where besides several riotous games of musical statues, musical chairs, and What’s The Time, Mr Wolf? for a while she also had a ‘salon’ for the girls to paint each others’ nails with a children’s ‘nail art’ set that had been a present.

It was just a fun activity, nothing to get steamed up about.
Might add that Gdd is no ‘pink princess’ - she’s very sporty and physically fearless, to the extent of jumping 12+ feet into very cold sea with dd, and swimming at least 50 yards to the beach.

Ther we is no format grannygravy. I invented it as an example of how it's nit always OK for children to have parties that involve playacting as adults.

Blimey, I hope I haven't given anyone ideas

Germanshepherdsmum

A good many examples of such females exist GG. Does the sisterhood not allow us to acknowledge that?

I would have thought that in the 21st century the sisterhood had moved on from throwaway detrimental and judgemental comments towards other females.

These comments are usually used against women who they only see in passing or in the media and do not know Judging someone on the lengths of their nails, size of their eyebrows or bushiness of their eyebrows, when they might have a first in Astro Physics for all you know?

Statistically improbable.

Vintagejazz

Ther we is no format grannygravy. I invented it as an example of how it's nit always OK for children to have parties that involve playacting as adults.

Blimey, I hope I haven't given anyone ideas

But nobody was suggesting a pretend drinks party - No it wouldnt think that was ok either- but I also think it is irelevant and a strawman example.

I do think it is ok for a child to have a mocktail in a situation where adults are having cocktails, say, at a beach resort

Context matters.

I think you need to read my original drinks party post in context.

I have read all the posts - What part have I misunderstood?

That post was in answer to another poster implying that as long as it was pla acting it was OK. I gave a further example of how what you are play acting at matters, so therefore that on its own didn't seem to be an argument for pamper parties.

so you are saying some play acting would not be ok? - if so, I agree with you - all and any play acting would not be ok

I wouldnt be Ok with the hypothetical drinks party either - not sure anyone would.

But I am ok with pamper parties of the sort OP described for 9 year olds ( not a fan of them but not shocked or horrified either) and I am ok with mocktails for children in the right context

snowberryZ

Having a pamper party does not mean that they will from that day wear nail varnish, make-up and start a life long journey of face fillers, large eyebrows, false nails and forever be common

^But it won't just be one pamper party they attend. All the friends who attend will probably also want a pamper party.
And if it becomes the norm then it^ could very well lead to some of these girls eventually becoming young women who spend ££€£ on treatments, because they've been conditioned to think that their natural selves aren't good enough^.

So We will have to agree to disagree.

But it won't just be one pamper party they attend. All the friends who attend will probably also want a pamper party.

... that was my point, earlier.

It's now an 'industry' - like gender-reveal parties, baby-showers, etc. The genie's out of the bottle...

There's a mother in Gloucestershire not far from me organising these parties as a lucrative business, so much so that she's going to have to hire more staff. They're aimed at primary school age girls. She said she was 'motivated' when she remembered looking up at her mother as a child and thinking how "pretty" she was. During an interview, she mentioned her then infant daughter and said how she "couldn't wait" to be able to include her in the pampering sessions.

It's a far cry from those rather more 'innocent' days of raiding your mother's make-up collection, and trying on her feather boa, hats, and clumping around in her high heels during a long afternoon. Or a mother buying a bit of lip balm and glitter for her 10/ 11 year old daughter's pamper party. Once this is commercialised, you can bet there will be ever more innovative ways dreamt up to make money - targeted at an ever-younger age of 'princesses'.

Child Beauty Pageants are very much on the increase here in the UK, too... they are also a £billions industry...

As i said earlier, nobody i know has the money to spend on such things.
I certainly don't.

They are aimed at a particular demographic.

Hetty58

MissAdventure, I disagree - and think of it as a 'lower class' thing - or vulgar, quite frankly. The women around here who haunt the beauty parlours, hairdressers, nail bars etc. (those with the funny cartoon eyebrows and pouty lips) are certainly not middle class.

What kind of role models are they? There's a huge difference between looking your best and looking like a clown!

I see what you mean, although don’t see it quite as categorised as that.

I remember watching a ‘Tricia’, years ago on this very kind of topic. A child in the audience said she wanted to be like Katie Price. (Sorry....it was the mention of ‘vulgar’ which made me think of her.) Someone else rightly said, “ but you don’t know who she is....she’s so fake, how can you tell?”

This child was obviously influenced by her though. Probably all grown up and fine now, hopefully.

Ha ha, I’ve just noticed there’s a whole thread on Katie Price!!

Maybe have a look at it, and see what a lovely mum she is to her disabled son?
More than one way to be vulgar, I think.

I don't think every child who attends a pamper party will turn into a vapid, over made up airhead.

But I do think their increasing popularity is all part of the rushing kids through childhood that seems to happen nowadays.

That six year olds have grown weary of playing with dolls and eight year olds are jaded with the traditional parties and party games that entertained generations of children before them surely says something about our society?

Unfortunately, due to a lot of threads turning into opportunities to judge those seen as "lesser" in some way, it makes people less inclined to enter into a decent discussion about these things.

What have these children got to look forward to with pamper parties tanning, false eyelashes and nails at such young ages. What do the boys get, a salon haircut!

I do not recognise your descriptions of 6-8yr olds VintageJazz

The children I know in that age bracket both boys and girls have varied and busy extracurricular lives. Rainbows through to Guides, Beavers through to Scouts, days out at the local beaches with friends and family, picnics in the local parks. My own 7 and under GC play for hours with their toys inside and love being out in the garden getting muddy, planting flowers, fruit and veggies.

Treats in school holidays include London Museums, Zoos etc.

I appreciate that some activities require financial stability, but that applies to pamper parties and all other birthday parties.

MissAdventure

Unfortunately, due to a lot of threads turning into opportunities to judge those seen as "lesser" in some way, it makes people less inclined to enter into a decent discussion about these things.

Agree MissA there seems to be an awful
lot of snobbery and inverted snobbery creeping into threads at the moment.

Has two years in lockdown distorted our view of others and their lives?