RISE OF THE COMPETITIVE kids’ party!

Mum-of-two and social commentator Angela Mollard guides you through the thrills and spills of parenthood

Remember when kids’ birthday parties involved a game of hide-andseek, a plate of chocolate crackles and a play under the sprinkler? For many modern kids, those parties are something they’ll never know, as parents increasingly attempt to outdo each other in the party stakes.

Led by celebrities such as David and Victoria Beckham – who held daughter Harper’s birthday at Buckingham Palace – and Beyonce, who reportedly showered $200k on daughter Blue Ivy’s first birthday – the demand for lavish events is on the rise. Families are now spending thousands of dollars on entertainers, teepee sleepovers, high teas, home discos and day spa parties for their beloved offspring. As social researcher Mark Mccrindle points out, rising household incomes are fuelling the trend.

‘It’s a generational change,’ he says. ‘Today’s Generation Y [born between 1980 and 1994] have grown up expecting to pay for services, and their children’s birthday parties are no longer DIY.’

It’s not just competitiveness, but celebrity trends and social media that are fuelling the extravagance, according to Sydney event planner Philip Carr, who has worked on a $30k party for a five-year-old. He says he takes calls from parents keen to do something ‘amazing’ for their child.

But is it what kids want? Caterers report that kids rarely eat the birthday cake, however incredible it may be, and they’re commonly overwhelmed by a larger-thanlife entertainer or lots of guests.

Kate Nelson, from Melbourne parenting blog Meetoo, points out that lavish hyper-styled parties often benefit the parents more than their child.

‘Parents often underestimate how much kids love games that encourage imagination with only a few inexpensive aids,’ she says.

‘At the end of the day, the kids remember the fun games – not if the goodie bags were colour-coordinated with the cake decorations.’