Birthday parties when you were a kid

[bluetopaz]

I never had parties myself, we just did cake and whatever I picked for dinner with family and maybe a friend or two. When I got older, I could have some friends over for a sleepover. I remember going to the roller rink and bowling alley for other girls' parties.

[sparkythelawyer]

Apr 11, 2013 13:06:05 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

Early birthday parties were at Friendlys or McDonalds or Shakeys Pizza.

Late elementary school parties were at the roller rink.

Middle school we graduated to movies plus sleepover.

ETA:  I'm pretty sure none of these places had cruelty-free food.

Damn I miss Friendly's.  

[gretchenindisguise]

I had a McDonald's Party at like 3 or 4.

I think I had a roller skating party at some point.

One year in HS I convinced my mom to let me bring my friends to a haunted house (my b-day is in Sept), that was a good one.

Otherwise it was your standard at home stuff.

[gretchenindisguise]

Apr 11, 2013 13:32:42 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

Apr 11, 2013 13:07:23 GMT -5 @scottydeux said:

Usually at home. GASP

This. When I was in 6th/7th we went to a bowling alley (and I rolled the ball over my dad's foot. Oops.) I'm pretty sure every other party was at home. My birthday is right before winter officially starts (end of Nov) in a snowy/cold area so options were limited. *shrug* I didn't/don't feel slighted and plan do do the same kind of parties for my future kids. We always played fun games and I enjoyed myself.

Also, *gasp* there were no friend parties until I was in 2nd/3rd grade. We had family parties every year of course. FWIW my immediate family is big and so is my extended family so there were easily 30+ people at my family birthday parties.

IMO any kid under 5/6 yrs old doesn't need a friend birthday party. I think family ones are enough/just fine.

This doesn't work if you don't live around family. If we had only family at L's b-day parties, she'd be sitting there staring at us.

[Deleted]

Apr 11, 2013 13:42:56 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

Apr 11, 2013 13:38:54 GMT -5 sparkythelawyer said:

Damn I miss Friendly's.  

They still have one in Oakton, Virginia.  ;P

Orlando has one.  I'd never heard of Friendly's, but a few years ago we drove by one in Orlando and DH nutted up and insisted we stop to eat.

[marshmallowmars]

We always had back yard parties, complete with water balloon tosses, volleyball and jarts. I have pictures from one of my birthdays in which my dad's garage band w/the neighbors performed, from the garage. They were called DNAB (yeah that is band spelled backwards). My dad played the keyboard, lol.

[rupertpenny]

The best birthday I ever had was when I turned 6. We had just moved into a new house and my parents put the huge cardboard boxes the appliances came from out in the yard and we just played in those.

Other wise, I have never been into having parties. My BFF was born 2 days before me and loves doing parties so ever since first grade I have celebrated my birthday by going to her birthday parties. It works out great for me, I get to see my friends and I don't have to do any planning.

[Deleted]

At the house. Or pool parties.

[Deleted]

Boston pizza, movies, but generally most of the parties I went to and had as a kid were at home.

[Deleted]

Apr 11, 2013 13:07:23 GMT -5 @scottydeux said:

Usually at home. GASP

Yep! I think I had one at McDonald's.

[leeann]

Roller Skating Rink
Show Biz Pizza
Chuck E Cheese

[ering1115]

KKD- I know where you are talking about too. I had my baby blue tshirt that they gave you as the birthday kid until college. That place was amazing. I saw Kobe Bryant there once in high school. Ha!

[sparkythelawyer]

Apr 11, 2013 13:42:56 GMT -5 Lucy Honeychurch said:

Apr 11, 2013 13:38:54 GMT -5 sparkythelawyer said:

Damn I miss Friendly's.  

They still have one in Oakton, Virginia.  ;P

They are still all over the east coast.  Friendly franks are the bomb!

Sadly, they have not made the jump to the midwest.  Womp womt....

[Deleted]

Other than having cake/ice cream at home with my family, I never had a "real" birthday party with kids over/balloons/obligatory crepe paper.

I'm not sure whether I should be sad about that.

[fluffaluff]

The ones I remember are Chuck E. Cheese, skating rink, a party at home/sleepover, the park, pool party and laser tag

[MrsStark]

In the order that I remember...tumbling, McDonald's, ceramics, bowling, discovery zone, tumbling again, pool party.

Oh and I got to take 4 friends to see Rent with me for my sixteenth birthday instead of having a ridiculous party. Ridiculous sweet sixteens were all the rage where I grew up.

[lightbulbsun]

My birthday is in June so we usually had them in the backyard. One time we went to the local drive in.

My brother's b-day was in Feb, so we went out more for his. One was at McDonalds! I also remember a bowling one.

[mrssandro]

9 out 10 times it would be at home with a boxed cake and ice cream. I think once it was at McDonald's or my brothers was. Or Mr. Gatti's. I can't remember. The only rememberable one I had was when I had a big sleep over. My mom was never into decorating or having parties. 

[Deleted]

At home in elementary school and in middle school, we would all turn our garages into night clubs lol. I remember buying the colored light bulbs, making a disco ball and making confetti with a hole puncher. Good days!

[speckledfrog]

We had it at Chuck E Cheese one year and I almost died from happiness. I had a bowling party for my 16th. The rest were home parties. We had the poors.

[blueballoon]

McDonalds, Pizza Hut, bowling alley and a couple of home parties.

[lightbulbsun]

Apr 11, 2013 13:32:42 GMT -5 macmars45 said:

Apr 11, 2013 13:07:23 GMT -5 @scottydeux said:

Usually at home. GASP

This. When I was in 6th/7th we went to a bowling alley (and I rolled the ball over my dad's foot. Oops.) I'm pretty sure every other party was at home. My birthday is right before winter officially starts (end of Nov) in a snowy/cold area so options were limited. *shrug* I didn't/don't feel slighted and plan do do the same kind of parties for my future kids. We always played fun games and I enjoyed myself.

Also, *gasp* there were no friend parties until I was in 2nd/3rd grade. We had family parties every year of course. FWIW my immediate family is big and so is my extended family so there were easily 30+ people at my family birthday parties.

IMO any kid under 5/6 yrs old doesn't need a friend birthday party. I think family ones are enough/just fine.

Well yea, it's nice if you happen to have a big family.  My local family growing up was my parents, bro and grandparents. 

[joyfull]

McDonalds
roller rink
sleep overs

[Deleted]

Almost all of mine were at home. My birthday is in May. My parties consisted of cooking on the grill and a cake.

I do remember having one at McDonald's when I was maybe 5 and one at the roller skating rink.

[Deleted]

My mom had a big party for my 6th birthday and invited my whole class. We sat on the patio and ate Klondike bars. It was awesome. She says she still regrets it. lol

[TrickyBob]

A lot of mine were at home. My 8th birthday party was at McDonald's. The one by us had a red caboose train car that the owner owned and birthday parties were held in there. It was fun, but it didn't have a play land or anything.

For my 16th, my parent's hired a DJ who did a light show and we rented out the Church social hall to have it there. We had pizza and cake.

I'm sure I had a few sleep over parties but my parent's weren't big of spending tons of money for parties, so Mom usually decorated the living room and made a cake.

[cheeseandcrackers]

my house

[julesf84]

I think nearly all of my parties were at home. A sleepover with a few friends or something. It was my favourite thing to do.

[Deleted]

Most of my parties were at my house. I was big on sleepovers. I also had roller skating and bowling parties.

[tdk2]

Apr 11, 2013 13:06:51 GMT -5 psychmom said:

Discovery Zone

Chuck E Cheese

Park with a Barney character

That sounds kind of dirty. 

I think most parties were at ppl's homes.