I used to decorate the kids parties in Pinterest style decorations, I'd go all out. I'd have big decorations in whatever theme, super cool homemade cakes in coordinating theme (a monster truck one year). I would make big painted decorations to hang up, I would have planned out games and the snacks would be cute and theme-y. I mean I gotta tell ya, these were cool parties. People would tell me how creative I was and how cute everything was. I was the mom. And you know what? I was a total stress case because everything had to be perfect.
Then last year I realized, my kids don't care. I mean yes they get excited about decorations, but balloons and streamers make them just as happy as me spending a whole week planing decorations. And they really don't care if I spend hours the night before making the cake or if they get to pick out whichever one they want at Costco. Games are fun, but the fun part is just playing with your friends.
Lindy's birthday party is this weekend and I decided tonight to look up decoration ideas and games on Pinterest to see if there were a couple ideas I could copy. And I saw. And I browsed. And I started to feel crappy about myself. These moms had beautiful pictures of perfectly planned out parties, with huge wall size murals, and cute themed labels for the food table. And beautiful cakes that I'm sure are specialty ordered. And capes and masks for every kid, and so many games I'm sure the party was three hours just to fit in games. And cool cut out photo booths, and props for the kids. And the pictures they posted- I mean these are good pictures. They have to have hired someone to do pictures. I mean how do you get so many perfect pictures of kids at a party? And the moms were even in the pictures!! And not only did they plan and execute these parties, but they blogged about it! And here I was with streamers and balloons and a couple colored plastic table cloths. I started to panic. My party wasn't going to be that great. What would the parents coming think?
Then I remembered what I've learned the last year. I cannot do it all. I can not be who those other moms on Pinterest are. And my kids don't care. Lindy will be happy to have balloons are streamers and cake with her friends. She will be excited to hand out goody bags to her friends even if they don't have theme coordinating cut out decorations on them. I can still try to have a neat photo backdrop for them, and we can try a couple games, but I'm not going to stress out over it. I'm not going to be upset if it's not what I think would be perfect. Because over and above being the mom who looks like super mom who has it all together, I want to be the mom who has fun. Who enjoys my daughters 4th birthday party. Who is not yelling and snapping at my family 30 minutes before guests arrive like I was before. Its great that some people can have those picture perfect parties. The ones we all envy on Pinterest. I'm just not that person. And I'm ok with that. My kids are happy and thats what I really care about.
If you're like me and you see those pictures on Pinterest, don't feel crappy. Don't stress about the "perfect" party. Don't think you have to do it all for your kid's party to be a success. Do what you can do. Be the mom you are, not the one you think you should be. Relax, enjoy the party. Enjoy your little birthday star. I will be.
