birthday party with embarrassing (too young) theme?

[Anonymous]

DS is in third grade and wants to have a Paw Patrol birthday party. I have no idea why - he's been over the show for like four years. I am certain this will get him bullied and am trying to talk him out of it, but no such luck. Do I just go ahead and do it?

[Anonymous]

She must have a reason, so why not. ust make it mostly blue and red, just put. a couple of paw patrol cups or something around. Nothing to be embarrassed about.

[Anonymous]

We do two birthday parties- one for friends and one for extended family. So I’d do paw patrol for the family party and have the kid pick something else for the friends party.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We do two birthday parties- one for friends and one for extended family. So I’d do paw patrol for the family party and have the kid pick something else for the friends party.

No family here, so it's just the friend party.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She must have a reason, so why not. ust make it mostly blue and red, just put. a couple of paw patrol cups or something around. Nothing to be embarrassed about.

I guess we could do that!

[Anonymous]

Why is he inviting friends who would potentially bully him for this? They’re not friends. My 10yo is going to a 10yo classmate party and I asked the mom what she likes because the kids don’t know each other well. ( whole class invite) and the mom
Says she likes Stitch from Lilo and Stitch. No shame and my kid is not gonna be a jerk about it. We bought a Stitch water bottle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:She must have a reason, so why not. ust make it mostly blue and red, just put. a couple of paw patrol cups or something around. Nothing to be embarrassed about.

I guess we could do that!

Try to make it more like a dog theme..with a bit of paw patrol.

[Anonymous]

We don't do themes for birthday parties. The theme is "birthday". I let them pick out the color of the plates and napkins and choose the flavor of cake. Then we pick out fun little things for a goodie bag.

Why do you need a theme?

[Anonymous]

Maybe Paw Patrol is something he jokes with his friends about. My DD and her classmates last year (4th grade) had running jokes about Peppa Pig even though none of them had watched the show in years.

[Anonymous]

My kid is in 3rd grade and she wouldn't notice or care that the theme was Paw Patrol. All she cares about is the cake and the playing with friends.

[Anonymous]

Were kids to say negative things about the theme, that would be chiding, criticizing, making fun of, etc.

It would NOT be “bullying.” Overuse of that word undermines its specific and significant meaning. And drives me crazy.

[Anonymous]

It won't get him bullied. Presumably he's inviting friends, and the friends won't notice or care. It's fine to have some Paw Patrol-themed stuff like cups, plates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We do two birthday parties- one for friends and one for extended family. So I’d do paw patrol for the family party and have the kid pick something else for the friends party.

This. I have a third grade boy. He would definitely side eye this, but also it’s a party and he’d be happy to go.

[Anonymous]

I'm not sure that the kids would really notice or care, unless you went way overboard. Some PP paper plates, napkins, and cups? They aren't paying attention. Red and blue balloons? Totally normal.

And if there are kids who would genuinely bully him over this, maybe don't invite them to the party?

Also, maybe ask him WHY he wants this particular theme? "I'm curious--you haven't watched the show in years; why do you want a PP themed party?"

[Anonymous]

I can totally see my DD doing a paw patrol theme in third grade.
As PPs said, hopefully you aren't inviting kids who would make fun of her, and by third grade she's probably doing it in a semi-ironic-but-still-secretly-likes-it kind of way.