Quoted from http://monicaricci.typepad.com/monica_ricci_organizing_e/2007/08/simplifying-kid.html:

Your Life. Organized. : Simplifying Kids’ Birthday Parties

Simplifying Kids’ Birthday Parties

For a looooong time I’ve been on a personal mission to help people simplify kids’ birthday parties. IBirthday_cake can’t tell you how much pressure and stress these events cause my friends and clients and it’s just so totally unnecessary. When I was a kid, we had birthday parties sometimes but the guests never even brought gifts. The cake, the ice cream and the gathering itself was the gift. These days, if you’re not spending the equivalent of a year of college tuition on your kid’s birthday, you feel like an unfit parent.

I’m going on record to say that’s total BULL.  Listen to this recent episode of Vicky and Jen’s podcast What Really Matters, as they talk with Michelle West of Birthdays Without Pressure. It’s a great show! I’ve been saying for a long time now…

that kids only know what you show them and they’re happy with sooo much less than parents think. They really don’t need a bunch of new toys every birthday, and for Pete’s sake, be the first on your block to stop giving the dreaded goodie bag.  I (not-so-affectionately) call these Little Bags of Crap because let’s face it, no kid needs to come to a birthday party and leave with a bag of cheap trinkets to add to their own clutter at home. Ack!

Another thing that really fuels my fire about birthday party goodie bags is that it sets a bad example and it’s a HUGE missed learning opportunity for kids. A birthday party is the perfect time to teach your kid that everything is actually NOT about him and it also teaches him to be a gracious guest when it’s someone else’s turn to be the center of attention. Teaching your kids that their birthday is second only to the Second Coming contributes to creating an ungrateful, spoiled, entitlement-minded child who is ill-equipped to live in society as a healthy, balanced adult.

Just as parents teaching the concepts of sharing, kindness, and generosity, I believe learning to be gracious and being aware of others outside of themselves is so important for kids to learn.  I’m ranting… gee, can you tell this is a hot button for me? What are your thoughts and experiences with birthdays and how you’ve been able to simplify your kids birthdays.