Kids' birthday party suggestions

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-09-2005
Kids' birthday party suggestions
4
Wed, 10-26-2005 - 10:20pm

My STBX and I have been separated since August and have a fairly decent relationship. Our DS's birthday is on 11/30 and DD's birthday is on 12/27, as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas in between. DS will be 5 and DD with be 2. Last year we had a family party with grandparents, aunts and uncles (STBX and I were still living in the same house back then) the weekend after DS's birthday and one on the DD's actual birthday. It's alot to ask of family to get together for all the holidays as well as two parties. Now, this year it's gotten stickier because of our separation. As I said, STBX and I get along but my in-laws and my parents never really did (just kind of tolerated each other) and my parents never like STBX. I have an older brother as well who never got along with STBX either.

My question is this...I feel that I should combine their parties sometime in the middle of December to limit the amount of time I have to bring all these family members together but also feel that if I do this, I am depriving my kids of their own special time with the family to celebrate their birthdays. I've been obsessive about my DD since she always seems to the short end of the stick (we separated and left our house, etc when she was only a year and half old) so I don't want her to have to share her party with her brother, who had 4 parties all to himself.

What do you think? Am I making too big of a deal of it? My parents say they'll come to two parties (they love me so will do anything to make me and kids happy) but my brother won't commit to attending any function where STBX is (but that's another story). I'm so on edge about getting all these people together and just want it to be as smooth as possible, which I know is probably expecting too much.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give...

Cat
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-21-2005
Thu, 10-27-2005 - 12:21am

My dd's birthday was about a month after we moved out, so I know how you feel.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Thu, 10-27-2005 - 9:28pm

Oh... we celebrate birthdays... for days... or weeks!


Karen ~ wildlucky4me ~

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-02-2003
Fri, 10-28-2005 - 3:59am

IMHO - each of your kids 'deserves' their 'own' b-day

Avatar for mom2maggie
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-29-2003
Fri, 10-28-2005 - 1:22pm
This is the type of thing that my STBX and I decide together what is best for our children.