Moms Talk: B-Day Party Planning Strategies

Birthday parties are so much fun: All your friends, perhaps a bouncy house, the retelling of stories of your babyhood by loving relatives and, of course, a frosting-coated cake in the shape of some animal. Yep, birthday parties are fun … for kids.

For parents, the mere planning of the shindig to mark another year of successful child-rearing can raise many questions: Does the whole class score an invite? Are siblings included? Should you say yay or nay to presents? How big should the goodie bag be? Should there even be a goodie bag?

We at Patch want to know your birthday-party guidelines. How big are your parties? How do you handle the invitation situation? Has your party-planning motto changed as your children have grown?