Birthday Party

Do you want to make a lot of money? Ok, then, I'm going to share a business idea with you:

1. Secure some venture capital.
2. Scout out some low-rent, garage-like properties anywhere on Rt 128.
3. Open a chain of birthday party centers targeted at kids aged 1-10.

It is guaranteed to make you a millionaire.

As you can probably tell, I spent my morning at a birthday party center targeted at kids aged 1-10. It was the "My Gym" on Needham St in Newton--and, as far as these places go, not the worst of the bunch. And yes, the party was for a 2-year old friend of ours, so I won't complain too much. Both Andres and Celia had a good time (as the videos below document), nobody got hurt, and the birthday girl herself was a gracious and cute hostess.

But back to my idea for a second. These party centers are all the rage now--I've been to at least 4 different ones in the past year and a half (and those are just the ones I remember; surely there were others too? I will defer to my memory's better half on this question). Kids love them because they have all sorts of new and interesting activities, and parents love them because they (fine; we) can pay someone to organize and clean up after everyone. It is win-win.

The flaw with these places, though, is that many parents of kids who attend the party (fine; me) go running for the liquor cabinet as soon as the party is over. The center staff (bless their hearts, because I cannot imagine having that job for more than one weekend) are constantly introducing new games, then ending that game, introducing a new song, and then moving on from that song. Kids must love it because their attention spans are shorter than that of a goldfish but for parents it is a dizzying experience. Yes--I agree that the party is not designed with my preferences in mind. No--I don't like it anyway.

So should you ever want to make a bundle of money off of people like me, then follow the three steps above. And here's the key innovation: just hire one staff member to make sure nobody gets hurt, and allow the kids to play freely. Oh--and have an open bar at one end for the parents. You'll be a millionaire in no time.

Back to reality: I spent 2 hours at My Gym with my wife and kids today and took some videos. Here you go.

We were welcomed to the party via song. My favorite part of this video is when Celia almost claps...but stops just short.



We all played with a parachute for a bit, and then sang a couple songs together. Finally some free time. There were a lot of activities for kids to do, and lots of places to jump around and play...Celia had a good time with the hula hoop, and she also agreed to be dragged through a tunnel on the parachute (Andres was intrigued by this but could not muster up the fortitude to copy his sister). For his part, Andres jumped with some friends and then jumped by himself.

Though I hate to admit it, I do compare my own three-year old to other three-year olds at parties like this. Perhaps it is inevitable? I am always curious to see whether he reacts the same or differently as his peers.

Today I learned, again, that while other kids have no trouble following the commands of an excitable twenty-something cheerleader, Andres is more cautious. He surveys first and obeys second; he dips a toe into new activities rather than jumping in headlong. I only bring this up because it took him longer to warm up to the different activities that were going on, and as soon as he was ready to participate, the staff was moving onto something else. I think this bothered me more than it bothered him, though; he still managed to have a good time and did not dissolve into tears about anything.

After a while it was time to fete the birthday girl. What better way to celebrate than with a parade? Spoiler: this video contains dancing and bubbles.



Singing happy birthday (again), then cupcakes, drinks, washing hands, and then more playtime. Andres started a drum circle and Celia took some flying lessons.



Finally it was time to go. The adults tried to assemble the kids into a single group for a photograph; it was like herding cats, but a bit harder.



And that was it. Noon arrived, the party ended, and we headed out, everyone happy and tired. I earned my football today.