I had a volcano cake made for a science party for my oldest child's 6th birthday. To be clear, I actually found a person who could custom make a cake that was three feet tall and erupted condensed milk through the use of dry ice - it really looked like a small volcano and had dinosaurs and forests at the base. It was better than any science project I have ever made. It was the beginning of an addiction also - one that I am finding hard to end. I guess that's addiction for you.
Similarly, I am addicted to finding awesome party spots. We have had parties at every single venue that our fine city has to offer. Game trucks, bouncy houses, kid beauty parlors, character magicians, bubble experts, gymnastics places, art barns. Oh - don't forget about that one where they bring the petting farm to your backyard with brushes for the sheep, ponies for the riding... Oh! And the reptiles! And the exotic animals! No joke - I can show you the receipts for all of these varied parties.
I remember parties back in the day - the ones with cake and ice cream and running around messing up the house. Maybe with a clown but for sure with some paper based games. That was about all we could take without melting down. But my kids (kids these days), sensory issues galore, can totally enjoy a bouncy house full of chickens and art projects and they have no problem with a cotton candy machine or an ice cream truck wailing its tune... So when exactly did things change so radically? I don't want to be that person who longs for the olden days of whittling our own toys but I do have to admit a little nostalgia for the simplicity of it all.
My parents - even more nostalgic for the simplicity of having reasonable birthday parties - have always joked about my kids' parties as "coronations". They laugh and wonder at how over the top it all has become, what with seeking a cake to match the theme and party entertainment, often more than one birthday party - a family party, an actual day of birthday celebration, a friend party... And let's face it, for four kids that is 12 coronations a year... it is a lot. And to save your calculator, that means that I have lovingly hosting roughly 123 celebrations in 13 years.
But I can't stop. Because this coronation addiction has an end and it is nearly upon me. Two kids have recently outgrown this extreme party fun and I had suddenly realize how fleeting are the days of Superman doing some card tricks on a pony in our backyard. I realize that an exploding cake and a goody bag of weird yo-yos, slimy hands and pencils just isn't forever. It's the blink of an eye. And I love these coronations and the sweaty, smiling, exhausted people who come out of them a year older and a year closer to being blah about their birthdays.
And so I guess that I will allow this particular addiction to rage on for as long as I have. I won't complain about goody bags being silly (which they are) or about the cake being too expensive (which it is) or even the kids being too wild (which they will be no matter what). I guess I will just embrace it while I have it and get jazzed up for seeing what crazy coronation tricks the next generation will come up with... After all, you only turn 6 once...