Simon Cowell’s 2-year-old son, Eric, recently had a birthday bash that was more elaborate than any of us could ever dream of. The boy’s second birthday party was a star-studded event that would only happen in the world of celebrities.
According to the Independent , the exclusive birthday party for the toddler took place in London. Amanda Holden and Alesha Dixon, Cowell’s friends and judges from Britain’s Got Talent , were in attendance at the birthday party, as well as former X Factor judge Louis Walsh and famous hypnotist Paul McKenna.
Cowell has previously admitted that life as a father took some getting used to. He never expected he would have a child.
He said, “I’m great with puppies because a puppy will respond, but babies at a certain age don’t do anything, so when he was about five or six [months old] I was like: ‘I just don’t know what to do! He wasn’t reacting to me and I thought maybe he hates me.’ And they said, ‘No, take your time.’ And then one day they are talking, listening, responding and also they sort of become a bit like you. Which I don’t know is a good thing or a bad thing! He’s a funny little thing.”
The star-studded bash shines a light on an upcoming trend that’s both over the top and alarming: extravagant kids birthday parties.
Chicago Now attributes the rise of over-the-top kids parties to the early 2000s, when reality TV shows and photos of celebrity kids were rampant in the media. Throw in the popularity of Pinterest, and even moms on a budget have begun to get out of hand with the birthday party obsessions.
A spokeperson for San Diego Kids Party Rentals, a company that specializes in birthday party costumes, entertainment, and equipment , said, “We’ve seen a huge upward trend in parents going all out for their kid’s parties. Cake and icecream and a clown just don’t cut it anymore. Parents are now treating their kids birthdays like they treat their graduations and weddings.”
These days, there are toddlers with birthday party registries, moms spending more on their kids birthday than they spend on their rent, and parents planning parties six months or more in advance. That’s an awful lot of work to go to once a year per child.
Experts have a few pieces of advice for keeping your kids birthday parties fun and memorable without getting out of hand.
- Bigger isn’t always better. You don’t need to invite your cousin’s neighbor’s daughter to make the party a hit. Often times, you can save time, effort, and money by sticking to a handful of friends or family members that your child is closest to.
- Set a budget and stick to it. Keep in mind, all the money you spend on this party will likely be thrown out the window after the party is over in three hours. In all likelihood, your child may prefer a more expensive, useful gift than an extravagant party.
- Have the party at home. Who said you need to rent out event space for a kids birthday party? By making a few light snacks yourself and preparing games for the kids, you can stay within budget and still give your child a fun birthday party.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with throwing your child a birthday party, or even a nice birthday party for that matter. But, if you’re renting a small petting zoo, spending half your life savings, and spending more than 10 hours on Pinterest just to keep up with everyone else’s elaborate parties, you may want to rethink it.
[Photo by Getty Images/Lumina Images]