“I always have a headache when I think of this day. The preparations are tedious and costly, those lousy neighbors just keep coming in and it is difficult to make my child happy for my efforts.” Some, if not most, parents dread this event and just give up or pass on the occasion unnoticed. If you are one of them and deep in your heart you really want to celebrate that event, you have come to the right place!
Here are some great tips to a great birthday celebration:
A) “With great freedom comes great responsibility”
That passage is really not the right advice for you. Try to start planning five to six weeks prior to the actual birthday. Although this may not be a must, this will give you time to make revisions in case something happens and if your pocket cannot accommodate the hefty budget, you can pay by weekly installments. This will also allow you to purchase party supplies as part of your regular shopping trips, instead of rushing to get all of them in a day or two. Some party supplies would be out-of-stock and you would be left over thinking on improvising as time passes by.
B) Come up with a Goal and Choose a Theme
Oftentimes we act before we think and this can be a great mistake in making a birthday celebration happen. Unless you are super rich or super inventive, this can be a big no-no for you. Try to imagine the end result of your effort, carefully laying out all the details needed to make it successful.
A good theme unifies the party and provides a framework from which the rest of the planning flows. Decisions on what kind of invitation to send, decorations, activities and most importantly food not just “ef oh oh dee” but “ef ooh … ooh dee” will seamlessly fit right in.
C) Strike while the iron is hot
The world we live in is never in a set place, it is always moving and changing. And such unpredictability has changed the lives of many people who were not properly prepared for nature’s wrath. For centuries, scientists and educated people tried to come up with predictions and preparations with the sole purpose of reducing or averting the event or consequents of the event in order to save lives. This foresight has saved countless of lives and still continues to this day. You may not be a scientist or a weather forecaster but you can damn well prepare for the unexpected events that will or will not occur-thereby giving you the necessary prescription to counter any new problem.
D) “With great freedom comes great responsibility” Again!!?
No! Not again but this is optional. Allowing your child to plan with you actually teaches him or her to be more aware of what is happening, to be organized, to plan properly, and to think ahead of the future. This usually will be better if and only if the two of you understand each other.
E) Understand Psychology
You do not have to be Sigmund Freud or that all-knowing psychologist of yours to understand the intricate nature of relationships. Whatever bad blood you have to other people, ditch that for now. People can see and feel if you have ill-feelings toward them. Your actions, verbal or non-verbal, will reflect whatever you are thinking of. Your child can pick up on these reactions and try to mirror them for you.