Anonymous
Post 10/23/2024 13:14     Subject: Re:drop off party - 2nd grade
You think they were annoyed with you but some people just have RBF and get anxious about bday parties and maybe it was just that.

I have a 2nd grader and wouldn't expect parents to stay at a bday party. I'd be nice about it if they wanted to stay and I'd offer them refreshments and be friendly/make conversation but to be honest, I'd rather they leave anyway!
Anonymous
Post 10/23/2024 11:42     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
Anonymous wrote:My 2nd grader was invited to a bday party at a play venue, I had my other child with me also and assumed it was drop off. I was told no parents need to stay but I had already planned to take my other child to a different event. I explained to the host that I had to bring my other child somewhere and apologized for assuming it was drop off but they were visibly annoyed. Do people expect parents of second graders to spend hours of their afternoon at a play venue for birthday parties?


I have a 2nd grader who just had a bday party. I told parents they could stay or not. I’d say maybe 25% of them stayed — primarily moms who are friendly already.

If I were having a party where I needed parents to stay, I’d make it clear in the invite.
Anonymous
Post 10/23/2024 11:41     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
Just goes to show you need to be clear in your invite.
Anonymous
Post 10/22/2024 21:02     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
Anonymous wrote:If I am inviting second graders for a birthday party, I would appreciate their parents stay (I will also order food and drinks for them obviously). I don't want to take responsibility for really wild kids and I have seen 1 out of 5 is always in that category.


2nd grade is when people start dropping off but it isn’t exactly the norm.
Anonymous
Post 10/22/2024 21:00     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
I have a second grader. Even in first grade, some parents were dropping off. Some parents carpool. It really depends on the venue.

What type of place is this?

Chuck E. Cheese I would not drop off. Scramble is huge and chaotic. I would not drop off. I did drop off at a laser tag and gymnastics party. I have 2 other older kids and needed to drive them somewhere. Usually I ask another parent to watch my kid if I had to go.
Anonymous
Post 10/22/2024 19:50     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
Anonymous wrote:Very strange. By 1st grade all parties in my circle are assumed drop off, only exception being a swim party.


I did drop off in 1st grade for a 2 hour party… no big deal from hosts. Alexandria VA…. But I can see some hosts are weird about it.
Anonymous
Post 10/22/2024 18:37     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Wow that’s crazy. I had people drop off at venue parties in K and 1st. What is there to do at Sky Zone or whatever in terms of “supervising” a 7 or 8 year old?


Skyzone is very crowded and spread out. They don't monitor who goes in and out. Are you serious you'd just let a 7 yo there without anyone to watch them? I'm not watching the kid as much as the other people if you know what I mean.


I agree. I would not let my 7 year old being alone without any parent at places like Sky Zone. I have been to Sky Zone and it can be a mad house especially during weekends. There are older kids/teenagers who are jumping, pushing each other, and there are possibilities for injures.
Anonymous
Post 10/22/2024 12:46     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
I’ve hosted and also had my kid be a guest at these big places. Nobody expects the bday parents to keep a close eye watch on every single kid there. There are workers at the venue and also classmates and friends. Everybody keeps an eye out. No stranger is coming in a grabbing a 7 year old and successfully dragging them out a side door. Good grief.
Anonymous
Post 10/22/2024 12:26     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
I wouldn't expect the parents to stay in 2nd grade unless it was a potentially dangerous activity (e.g., a pool party).
Anonymous
Post 10/22/2024 11:29     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
Well some venues like climbing places it helps to have parents there to clip kids in. Maybe you could have looked for another parent you know there and ask them to help keep an eye on your kid? It’s not really fair to put that on the host.
Anonymous
Post 10/22/2024 11:21     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
If it was a trampoline place it’s very hard to watch a ton of kids with so many exits especially if they don’t know your kid.
Anonymous
Post 10/22/2024 11:20     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
I just had my 2nd graders party at a play location and left it up to the parents if they wanted to stay or not. It was a contained area, but some kids felt better if their parent stayed, so they did (normally when the kid is the oldest) and some parents dropped their kid and came back in 2 hours (almost all younger siblings).

Both worked fine. In the future, I'd just check with the hosts if the invite isn't clear.
Anonymous
Post 10/22/2024 09:35     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
Anonymous wrote:Aside from whether it is a public venue, the next biggest factor I have seen in parents' attitudes is the birth order of their child. Oldest or only child? Parents tend to stick around. Youngest of 3 or more? Parents are asking if they can drop off in kindergarten.


Most of the birthdays my daughter attends are drop off and she is in K. There were lots of drop off parties last year in PreK, actually. She goes to an all girls private school in NYC and the girls skew older. All the girls are well behaved. Most venues here don’t have enough space for 20 girls and 20+ parents and most parents don’t want to host.
Anonymous
Post 10/22/2024 08:00     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
Aside from whether it is a public venue, the next biggest factor I have seen in parents' attitudes is the birth order of their child. Oldest or only child? Parents tend to stick around. Youngest of 3 or more? Parents are asking if they can drop off in kindergarten.
Anonymous
Post 10/22/2024 07:59     Subject: drop off party - 2nd grade
Absolutely you should supervise your own child in a public play venue. Second grade is mostly 7 year olds. It’s not even legal to let them stay home alone. How do you expect the host to supervise everyone’s children? I find it very rude if you expect that!