A child's birthday is always special.  If parents can have their way, every year will be marked with much celebration and fun.  The reality of today's life however, has made it impossible to hold extravagant parties.  Fortunately, there are other options available to parents who wish to push through with a celebration just the same.

The Fast-Food Option

Birthdays, no matter how small a celebration necessitate preparation.  The busy schedules of working parents or even stay-at-home parents loaded with other responsibilities tend to push them towards the most convenient option which is paying for a venue to provide the food, the party place, and other birthday celebration requirements.  In the Philippine setting, it is usually a toss up between McDonald's and Jollibee.  Although  there are other similar party venue options, none so far has managed to come near these two front-runners.

The main advantage of choosing this option is that it is readily accepted by the birthday celebrant and the young visitors as well.  Partly due to active marketing efforts of fast-food chains that offer this service, children relish the familiarity with the food, the activities, and the token mascot appearance.  This is the usual preferred option for children aged 1 to 7.




The Action-Filled Option

Older children usually look for more activities in a birthday celebration.  Children aged 8 to 12 are no longer as keen to participate in childish games conducted in kiddie parties.  They are looking for more grown-up activities that can be offered by water parks, amusement parks, and other outdoor and indoor entertainment venues located in malls and various commercial establishments.  Venues that easily come to mind include Splash Island, Enchanted Kingdom, and LazerXtreme.

These entertainment venues can offer interesting activities such as skating, bowling, and laser tag aside from swimming and exciting rides.  Older children enjoy this option more because of the variety of activities made available to guests.  It should be noted however that the cost that is expected to be incurred for this option will be higher because of the facilities made available to guests.






The Home Option

Who says a child cannot hold an enjoyable party at home?  This is an option that is always available unless home space does not allow it.  The first requirement in this option is to have a physical space that can accommodate the desired number of guests.  When this is not possible, one possible option is to rent a party venue in the activity area found in most residential villages today.  Still another option is to ask permission from a relative to use their house that can accommodate guests.

This option requires parents to be more creative and resourceful in dressing up the place to be a suitable party area.  Food preparation is another major concern for parties held at home.  Many choose to do it halfway by ordering food from restaurants and holding the party at home.  The main advantage in this option is that more guests can be accommodated since payment per head is not required.  The main setback is the amount of physical effort required to hold a successful party since all the responsibilities fall on the one giving out the party.


My Say

Like in all things, there are advantages and disadvantages to each option available.  It is up to the one holding the party to decide which advantage they cannot forego and which disadvantage they cannot accept.  Many exciting children's parties have been created by unlimited budget but I know for a fact that a memorable children's party can be created by unlimited creativity in a shoestring budget.  We will just have to make it happen for our children. 

My youngest child didn't have the chance to have a party for her 7th birthday which is considered a milestone in a child's life.  Never the less, we made sure that it did not pass like any ordinary day.  She still had her special day with a "party" of four with just our own family in attendance.  She got seven small gifts for every year of her age and we watched a movie after. Her pronouncement that it was the happiest day of her life made everything worth it.


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