Parental Dilemma

by Michele Cheplic | More from this Blogger

With the economy in the dumpster, families around the world are keeping a very close eye on spending. But, what do you do when it's your child's birthday? It's not as though you can overlook such a momentous occasion.

My 4-year-old just got an invitation to her friend's birthday party... along with the rest of her class. The party is being held at a local roller rink and lunch will be provided. I'm sure my daughter will have a blast... along with the other 25 kids from her class.

Her having a good time is not what I am worried about. My concern is that my daughter's birthday is coming up and I wonder whether I will now have to invite her entire class to celebrate. It's not easy to fit that many children into an average sized house. Fifteen, maybe... but 25 to 30 would be out of the question.

This dilemma could be easily solved if it were not for the fact that I fear someone in her class would get his/her feelings hurt by not receiving an invite. What's more, there's a sense of obligation (on my part) to invite every kid that has extended an invitation to my daughter on his or her big day.

In presenting this dilemma to my friends I have received many suggestions, including:

The number of guests should coincide with the child's age. For example, if your birthday boy is turning 5 he can invite 5 kids to his party.

Make it a girls-only party. By having a tea party or princess theme you're off the hook when it comes to inviting boys. (The only problem: My daughter has just as many boy BFFs as girl ones.)

Suck it up. Rent out a bigger venue, fill it with inexpensive decorations and affordable food, and chock it up to parenting in the 21st century.

So, do you invite the whole class when it's time to party or have you been brave enough to set a guest limit?