Colorful decorations of beloved cartoon characters plastered on the walls, streamers draped across the room, and excited kids are running around the house in anticipation of the balloon entertainer. Around the room are parents huddled in bunches drink afternoon cocktails and chatting about actives that their child is presently participating in school. The mother of the birthday child whirls around the house making sure guest have enough to eat while trying to keep the kids together.
Does this sound familiar to you? I remember my first birthday party where we played pin the tail on the donkey, dropped close pins into a bottle, had some cake and ice cream, opened presents and it was all over. Parents were not helicoptering around the room. No live entertainment. No snowcone machine, just a bunch of kids playing some old time games. The party only was 6-9 kids and mostly close friends from school and the neighborhood kids.
It’s funny that I became a kid’s birthday party entertainer, because I was afraid of costume characters, clowns, and was one of those shy kids that didn’t want to go to any person other than my parents. But, as l look back at old photos, there are some telling signs that I would do something in the entertainment field. Several years I dressed up as a clown for Halloween, and later in life taught Disco dancing classes with my sister as a teenager at local park districts.
I guess as we look back in life, we see things differently. At that time, my birthday party was considered over the top and cool, and I was probably more outgoing then I remember. But that’s the advantage of looking at the past, everything becomes clear. What where your parties like as a child?
