Two pre-school parties and one epiphany !

Saturday 21 and Sunday 22^nd January 2012

This weekend I have been blessed to be invited to two pre-school parties, or are they toddler/tweenie parties if you are three years old?

Anyway, I am not a huge fan of these parties as they often involve two things I find frustrating:

1.     Lots of hyped up children on sweets and over-tiredness running around like nutters

2.     Lots of parents (normally mums) looking coiffured to within an inch of their lives tottering on exceptionally high heels and complaining about their latest nanny only working 12 hour days rather than the hoped for 15

On both counts I get jaw ache from clenching my teeth too much and forcing an inane smile.

At the first party I was feeling particularly savvy as I constantly offered to help the birthday boy’s harassed mother who was eternally grateful whilst giving me the opportunity to ignore the parents and their conversations about the latest Lipsy design.  The only time I had to converse with them was to offer tea and coffee and found it delightful that I was delegated as the “help” and therefore not worthy of conversation, although through my glee I felt a pang of sadness for the real “help” who are probably treated like a sub-class human being.

This particular party had the parents decide to entertain the kids themselves by dressing as Power Rangers.  The poor dad was drenched in sweat and was getting sick of being kicked in the shins.  I do hope he didn’t end up with shin splinters, a very painful experience.

After two hours of dancing, eating and general mayhem the kids came away suitably hyper and I felt I had managed to dodge the superficial conversations.

Of course the second party the next day proved to be harder.

This time I managed to persuade (force) my husband to attend which I thought would stand me in good stead as a guaranteed conversation for the two required hours of fun, but no. 

Even my husband was aghast at the conversations between the parents.  An actual conversation went like this:

Mum no 1 is standing with her son who had an alice band in his hair in a beckham style

Mum no 2 comes over: “oh my goodness, your son looks AMAAAAZING like that.  Did you have that alice band designed for him?”

Mum no 1 looking very pleased with herself: “Oh no, this is my hair band but I wanted him to look like <insert name of pathetic footballer>”

Mum no 2: “Wow, he looks faaaabulous, I must start doing this.”

It would be funny if it wasn’t true, sadly it was!

But despite the fact I detest these parties and despite the fact I despise going, seeing my sons’ faces at them lights up my heart.  I would walk through glass if it made them happy and do you know what it probably would.