Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 14:54     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
Anonymous wrote:This is kind of off topic but wanted to share anyway because it was so unexpected and kind of ruined the birthday kid's event.

A few years ago, we attended a party at an entertainment restaurant that has games, activities and prizes. At the end of the party, one of the birthday kid's parents didn't have enough money to cover the outstanding balance due to the venue. They argued with the venue, the kid's grandparent and with each other. It was really bad and awkward for really all the attendees. Every aspect of the situation made me sad, and I offered to help pay because one of the parent's was crying and asking me what they should do. In the end, the grandparent was able activate a credit card they had in their purse and paid the balance.


The poor birthday child 😢
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 14:49     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
My son's 3rd birthday party. His pre-school friends all came. Parents stayed except for the mom who dropped her son off and gave me a bag of clothing "in case he has an accident because he's still potty training". 20 minutes after she left he was there with soaked pants. An hour later he wet his back up pants so I provided him with a pair of my son's pants. Honestly- the party was fun for all of the kids but couldn't believe the poor kids parents would do such a thing.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 14:41     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
Anonymous wrote:Scavenger hunt that required the kids to read clues. I didn't think about the fact that kids that age were all over the place in their reading skills. One girl cried because it took her longer to read the clues and she was losing and I partnered up with her for the rest of the game.


I did a hunt type game that just involved tying the prize to a spool of thread and creating a trail to follow with the unbound spool. I had loved doing that at one of my parties when I was a kid. One kid pronounced that boring and looked around a little, found his prize's hiding spot, got it out and announced he didn't like it. Lol. It's always something.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 14:40     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Kid sad over smashed pinata that grandma had him make with her to match the theme of the party. I expected this would go badly and it did.

😂 This is the most judgmental description of a grandparent/grandchild activity that I have ever seen (most people would have written that kid was sad over smashed piñata that was made with grandma). 🤣🤣


OK, you plan an entire party that was ruined because grandma didn't listen to you when you said that your kindly, sweet little boy would cry when forced to ruin something he spent hours making in the shape of a character he loved. I also had to keep the battered pinata around for a while until it could be thrown out without more sadness.

Grandma often was more concerned with what she wants to do than how others feel about it. The little guests were pretty vicious and greedy about it as well. The meanest kid scooped up about half the candy while my kid hung back crying.

Also you just haven't lived if my sad pinata story is the judgiest grandparent/grandchild story you've ever read. If grandma had made a ball or a star instead of an animal, it would have not been a problem at all. Making a character pinata gave the whole thing an unnecessary "clubbing a baby harp seal" vibe. But no. She had to make one to match the party theme. Because that was more important than my kid's potential sadness. I was a tougher kid. I would have told her I would not make a character.

Also I'm partly at fault because I did not want to keep a 2x2 ft paper mache pinata forever. So I required it to be used for the intended purpose.


We can see why your ds cried.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 14:36     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
Anonymous wrote:Worst experience was the year we had a big slip n slide set up for the kids. I was busy hosting when a fully clothed kid apparently got wet and their mom took it upon herself to walk upstairs and throw her child’s soaked clothes through our dryer, burning out a part. Never apologized or even let me know. I later found out from another person who heard what happened (the soaked clothes and using our dryer) and assumed I knew.

My advice is to physically block rude or nosy people from rooms or areas in your house you don’t want them accessing.


I lived in a neighborhood where most of the neighbors had pools. At most parties the homeowners locked the doors to the house because they would never know who was running around inside. There were neighbors who would think nothing of wondering around inside uninvited. The hosts are usually so busy at a pool party that they wouldn't be able to keep track.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 14:34     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
Scavenger hunt that required the kids to read clues. I didn't think about the fact that kids that age were all over the place in their reading skills. One girl cried because it took her longer to read the clues and she was losing and I partnered up with her for the rest of the game.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 14:30     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:These are hilarious. Although I have to say I have been to and hosted multiple playground parties for kids age 4 through 8 and all have been perfectly fine playing on the equipment and eating snacks or pizza plus cake. Standard run time was 2 hours start to finish and sometimes the kids would stay later, but once the cake was served that was it and the party officially wrapped up.


Yes, these parties are the best. Sometimes hosts do extra activities but I haven’t felt they are super necessary.


SUPER!
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 14:30     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My daughter had a pool party at a pool with life guards and we invited a family with twins. Mom dropped the girls off and didn't tell me they couldn't swim. We were able to get them life jackets and I stayed in the pool to make sure they were safe but it was very nerve wracking.


FWIW, I can't swim and have never worn a life jacket in a pool and always been fine splashing around in the shallow end. No need for a lifeguard, parent and a life jacket! You kind of went overboard there.


I'm not the pp. You are an idiot. You are clueless.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 13:48     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
I picked up my preteen DS from a party last night. He and his friends had an “eating contest,” and he puked all over the host’s bathroom. I went over promptly and cleaned everything up and will replace bathmats. I am so embarrassed!
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 13:16     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Honestly there shouldn’t be any pool parties for kids under like 8-9 years old. So many parents just drop off their kids who can’t swim. it’s truly unbelievable. But it’s also irresponsible to host a pool part for very young kids IMO. Just isn’t worth it.


Pool parties make me nervous. A 6 year old died at a swimming birthday party at the same expensive indoor pool/fitness club where my oldest took his first swimming lessons. There were a lot of people in and around the pool and the girl wasn't noticed and quickly succumbed. She was alive when removed from the pool but didn't survive.


Did they have a lifeguard?


Yes. Possibly two. But younger people. There was a lawsuit. It wasn't a family that I knew. It was covered in the newspapers.

I've heard of at least one similar tragic situation at a kids' franchised swim school party.

My husband was a lifeguard. That's why I notice these things. I feel the extra excitement of a party in a novel space then adding water is a bit much. I'd prefer a bounce place party to a swim party. And when my kids were small I stayed at the parties and got in the bounce houses with them. Because sometimes bigger kids like to knock the little ones down by jumping unpredictably. Then they get hurt and cry.


Every local drowning/near drowning i’ve heard about in my area (4 I think) has had a lifeguard present, but the lifeguard didn’t notice and someone else jumped in. If you think these 16 year old lifeguards are really in tune to the safety of the kids-they are not.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 12:30     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
A piñata is never a good idea for a party. In the best case scenario nobody gets injured but the piñata takes 30 minutes to break open. No fun.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 12:27     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Kid sad over smashed pinata that grandma had him make with her to match the theme of the party. I expected this would go badly and it did.

😂 This is the most judgmental description of a grandparent/grandchild activity that I have ever seen (most people would have written that kid was sad over smashed piñata that was made with grandma). 🤣🤣


OK, you plan an entire party that was ruined because grandma didn't listen to you when you said that your kindly, sweet little boy would cry when forced to ruin something he spent hours making in the shape of a character he loved. I also had to keep the battered pinata around for a while until it could be thrown out without more sadness.

Grandma often was more concerned with what she wants to do than how others feel about it. The little guests were pretty vicious and greedy about it as well. The meanest kid scooped up about half the candy while my kid hung back crying.

Also you just haven't lived if my sad pinata story is the judgiest grandparent/grandchild story you've ever read. If grandma had made a ball or a star instead of an animal, it would have not been a problem at all. Making a character pinata gave the whole thing an unnecessary "clubbing a baby harp seal" vibe. But no. She had to make one to match the party theme. Because that was more important than my kid's potential sadness. I was a tougher kid. I would have told her I would not make a character.

Also I'm partly at fault because I did not want to keep a 2x2 ft paper mache pinata forever. So I required it to be used for the intended purpose.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 12:06     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
Not the worst of us as guests, but the hosts had arranged a mobile petting zoo and the goat ate the birthday cake.
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 10:05     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
Anonymous wrote:Kid sad over smashed pinata that grandma had him make with her to match the theme of the party. I expected this would go badly and it did.

😂 This is the most judgmental description of a grandparent/grandchild activity that I have ever seen (most people would have written that kid was sad over smashed piñata that was made with grandma). 🤣🤣
Anonymous
Post 07/13/2025 09:25     Subject: What’s the WORST birthday party experience you ever had?
I am laughing at some of these. For my oldest, I booked a party in DC for his entire preschool class. (We are in Alexandria) At the time it didn’t dawn on me how incredibly difficult the logistics or for the other families. Thankfully, I was at least able to include the many siblings that came along in the craft/ activities.
DC was also pretty advanced with these type of things (which at the time I didn’t realize). So again thankful for the parents who stuck around and helped their own and other kids with the craft to make it a better outcome.
It was a great venue and party activity, but I laugh now about my naivety and what other parents must have been thinking!

We stayed close to home and much simpler until we moved into the smaller group parties.