WILL THE KARDASHIANS’ DESPERATION TO SPOIL THEIR KIDS RUIN THEIR LIVES?
Kylie Jenner criticised after blowing an estimated £250k on Stormi’s second birthday bash Sources reveal the Kardashian-Jenner family compete to outdo each other by splashing obscene amounts of money on their children Experts warn it gives kids ‘unrealis
She’s unlikely to remember her second birthday, but that didn’t stop proud parents Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott throwing one of the most extravagant baby birthday parties ever seen for their daughter, Stormi.
The show-stopping personalised theme park bash – Stormi World – featured fairground rides including a carousel, inflatable slide, ball pit and glitter play area – and was so big that guests were given a map to navigate their way around the tented arena.
Partygoers, including the likes of A-listers Chrissy Teigen and John Legend, entered the theme park through an inflatable replica of Stormi’s face that had been used at last year’s bash, and were treated to personalised Stormi food including a £5,000 cake. There was even a shop with Stormithemed merchandise and “claw machines” to win cushions with the toddler’s face on.
BACKLASH
Events planner Steven
Duggan, who has organised parties for superstars such as Adele and Elton John, tells Closer he estimates the party cost roughly £250,000 – and would have taken between six months to a year to plan. Steven says, “A detailed event like this takes that amount of time and effort because of such fine detail.”
But the glitzy gathering sparked a backlash, with fans expressing concern that Stormi – the only child of Kylie, 22, who last year became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire – will develop a “distorted view of life”.
One fan posted, “That kid is going to grow up with a seriously warped sense of reality”, while another wrote, “Not one child is playing, running around, or really laughing. It’s dark, probably too noisy, and they are all clinging to their parents. Dark fairgrounds at two are scary.”
LITTER
And while most of the world focuses on trying to deal with and prevent climate change, there were also serious concerns over the lack of environmental awareness. Guests were gifted large balloons and the party was littered with plastic and paper cups and food boxes.
One follower wrote, “Even more plastic pollution…,” while another commented, “She would have been better off donating the money to save a forest or misplaced animals in Australia in Stormi’s name.”
Child psychotherapist Noel McDermott agrees, telling Closer, “This event is more about the mother and what she wants, rather than the child’s needs. Throwing parties like this give can give a youngster an unrealistic view of how others live, and it can also set up unrealistic expectations for themselves as people. They may start to believe they have to outshine others and be extravagant all the time, and when they can’t do that in other aspects of their lives, they will think of themselves as failures.
COMPETITION
“It also denies the child a crucial developmental need, which is disappointment.
This helps human minds grow in order to develop creative strategies. We all want our kids to have amazing birthdays, but most of us understand we also have to place limits.”
It’s not the first time the Kardashian/Jenner clan have come under fire for their overthe-top baby parties. Kim and husband Kanye West threw North a Kidchella party for her first birthday – a Coachellathemed festival and fairground with a Ferris wheel, bouncy castles, tipis and a pool party – estimated to cost over £50,000. Meanwhile, Khloé’s daughter True was treated to a £30,000 first birthday party, with white
horses dressed as unicorns – with the decorative balloons alone costing £8,500.
A source tells Closer, “There’s always been competition between the sisters and now that most of them are mums, it’s become about who can outdo the other in raising their babies.
“When Kylie bought Stormi a £500,000 rocking horse, Khloé immediately had a £600,000 playhouse built in her garden, while Kim splashed out on a £750,000 diamond-encrusted Barbie to trump them all. In the girls’ eyes, it’s all about whose kid has the best clothes, the best toys and the best lives. Money is no object when it comes to winning the competition.”
But just days after the party drew criticism, Kylie insisted she was trying to instil “grounded values” in Stormi, saying, “I’m just trying my best, even though she’s still little, to remind her how blessed we are and that this isn’t normal, the way we live. It’s just our life.”
By Daisy McLure