CELEBRATE!

De-Traumatized

A little planning can keep the smiles on everyone's
faces at a child's birthday party.

The Jerry Ross Band

ED NAKFOOR

Special to the Jewish News

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ur parents made it look
effortless. At least that's
how it appears in those
date-stamped family snap-
shots that surface every now and
again: A sublime cake, party hats,
best friends and smiles galore, even
from the grownups.
But for today's generation of
moms and dads, planning a birthday
party can be a lesson in hand-wring-
ing, even when most of the guests
may not yet be able to walk, talk or
stay awake to see the cake being cut.
Even when your daughter or son is
old enough to have a say in the
plans, the most confident parent still
feels those butterflies at the thought
of facing a dozen or so children
whose fickle tastes allow no room for
error. Thankfully, you don't have to
s ee the guests on the playground the
next day, but your child does. And
kids, ever brutally honest, are the
worst critics.
While the ultimate goal is fun for
everyone, deep down you just want
to keep your wits about you, and
peace at home. So stay focused, be
organized and think creatively. And
remember: asking for help along the
way is a good thing.
First, select a theme that reflects
your child's personality, favorite toy
or even the time of year, recom-
mends Susan Sivak, owner of
Barbara's Paper Bag in downtown
Birmingham, and from there, the
rest follows.
Sivak, who says choosing just the
right invitation will help set the tone
of the party, gets many requests for
invitations with "do-dads," those
three-dimensional images.
Taking the birthday boy and his
pals to see a movie? Sivak's got invi-

tations just for the occasion, includ-
ing one with a big bowl of popcorn
front and center.
When the children get older and
want to have more of a hand in
planning their party, Sivak encour-
ages parents to chose blank stock —
paper with a thematic border — and
then print the invitation at home
where the kids can personalize them
with stickers or stampings.

Home Or Away?

Will you be entertaining at home, or
celebrating on the road? A tough
question, indeed, as some children
of a certain age look forward to the
home-based party, much to their
parent's chagrin.
Susan Hulsclier of Birmingham
says her 5-year-old son, Kyle, is
already planning his August birthday
which, like last year's outer space
party — complete with a Moon
Walk, visit from an alien, and space-
ship piñata — will be in the back-
yard.
She certainly understands when
parents take the party, and the mess,
out of the house. "We told him he
could have the party anywhere, but
he only wants to have it here," she
says, already hoping for a sunny day
since "he knows he wants to do
something with water balloons."
As for parties away from home,
the choices are plentiful and can
emphasize athletics, discovery, imagi-
nation or good deeds. Sports-mind-
ed children age 6 and up get a kick
- out of celebrating birthdays at one
of
Ken Levy's Kickboxing Clubs.
During a window of two hours,
Levy, or one of his instructors, teach
a kickboxing aerobics class after
which the guests can use the facility
to enjoy lunch, cake and ice cream

DE-TRAMATIZED

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