In which we ponder the cost of children's birthday parties...

Yesterday, our older daughter attended a friend's birthday party. Now this is only one of four that our girls were/are invited to over last weekend and next, but this one grabbed my attention because of where it was held. The seven girls met at Build A Bear Workshop, where they each got to pick out up to $25 worth of animals and accessories. The girls all had fun stuffing their bears and picking out clothes for them.

Now, the idea of spending $250 dollars to host a birthday party seems excessive to me. We generally host our girls' parties at the house. We generally only have to pay for the cake mix and some small items for the "goodie bags." I'd guess that our birthday parties only cost about $30-$40. Yet, everyone always seems to have a good time anyway. Maybe its the trampoline or the swimming pool. Or perhaps its my wife's cotton candy machine or the slushie machine she bought last year.

I'm not sure why some of these parents feel its necessary to spend so much money for their kids' parties. It seems like a foolish waste of money to me. Its really not that difficult to throw a great party without spending a fortune, and the kids still have a good time. Sometimes I wonder...