It has taken us a little while to understand how kids Birthday parties work here. Not only as we are new to it all together but also because they do appear to be structured somewhat different from what we are 'used to'. With all Rick's friends turning two this tie of year we have plenty of opportunity to perfect our skills.
1. Kids Birthday parties are VERY important and invitations are issued often > 1 month in advance
2. The parent is required to attend the full party and more often then not the ratio is > 1 parent / kid
3. If the party starts at 4 the party starts at 4. If you show up at 4.30 you may have missed already 50% of the party especially for the 80% of Birthday parties which are held at indoor playgrounds, museums or the zoo.
4. If the party is held at someone's house expect at least some investment in professional entertainment such as bouncy castles or a petting zoo.
The parties are great for the kids and not bad for the parents either as there are plenty of other parents to talk to.
5. Presents are parked at a table somewhere and accompanied by a card and a gift receipt. Presents are NOT opened during the party.
6. A cake is presented and cut up towards the end of the party and signals for most people that it is about time to leave. In general parties last exactly till the end time of the invite and last 1.5 to 2 hrs max. This is great for your own weekend planning purposes but not so good if you are us and don't know this and show up 30 min before the end of the party as nap time ran late or something.
7. Quite a few parties in Texas also have a 'Pinata' - which is a Mexican party tradition of a cardboard made construction, resembling something or someone, which is either pulled or hit to pieces upon which it releases its content of candy.
The kids seem to not have a clear idea on what to do with Elmo (and are often not strong enough to pull the thing apart) but tend to have no doubts what to do with the candy!
8. At the end of the party all kids get a goodie bag which contains much more then the candies I remember from my birthday parties. Usually there are some good party items in there like chalk, stickers, magic bubbles, bouncy balls etc
9. Not too long after the party you tend to receive a thank you note stating appreciation for your attendance and thanks for the present provided.
10. Once you host your own first party you realize quickly that you need to up your game when it comes to presents once you see what your own kid gets. People here are VERY VERY generous when it comes to kids birthdays, baby showers and weddings!
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