Kids are very creative. And honest! That means when they get an interesting idea, chances are, they are going to tell their parents about it.
So it should be no surprise that X is full of posts where moms and dads have described their children's funny birthday party requests.
Whether it's huskies or Starbucks, some have also shared how they tried to make them a reality. Continue scrolling to check out the ones that we thought were the absolute best, and don't miss the chat we had with our parenting expert Vicki Broadbent — you'll find it in between the pictures.
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Multi-award-winning TV director and broadcaster Vicki Broadbent, who is also the founder of the acclaimed family blog Honest Mum, believes that a good birthday party, first and foremost, requires love.
"The people your child cares most about should ideally be present," she told Bored Panda.
"Of course, delicious treats and a birthday cake (homemade is wonderful) with some thoughtful presents are usually the ingredients for a fun party and will meet most children's expectations. Kids just want to feel special and loved on their big day just like adults."
According to Broadbent, kids' wants and needs are different. "Some children don't want parties, so discover what they'd like to do to mark the day," the author of Mumboss (UK) and The Working Mom (US and Canada) said.
"My middle child shunned parties for years while they were young in favor of smaller family gatherings in restaurants, the cinema, a bowling trip, or even staying in a hotel for the weekend."
The mom-of-three suggests simply asking your little one what they would like to do—if they're old enough, you can also provide feedback on their thoughts.
All the signs and stickers in the liquor stores here say to check for 2003 on the IDs now.
There are many reasons why birthday parties are so special to kids. For example, in a wonderful book by Vivian Gussen Paley, where a group of children are discussing the aging process, one boy, Frederick, tells Ms. Paley, "My mother doesn't have no more birthdays." Ms. Paley asks, "Do you mean she doesn't have a birthday party?" "No," Frederick replies, "She really doesn't have a birthday. How I know is no one comes to her birthday and also she doesn't make the cake."
According to Jacqueline Woolley, Ph.D., who is a professor of psychology and director of the Children's Research Lab at the University of Texas at Austin, what this conversation hints at is the intriguing possibility that young children might believe that birthday parties actually cause them to get older.
The little ones can become really emotional about these special occasions. "Have you ever tried to propose to your young child that perhaps you could skip the party this year?" Woolley asks. "Or perhaps you have been unable to hold the party because you were on vacation or had another important family event at that time. If so, you have experienced your child's distress."
"If you thought about it, you may have assumed that he or she was most distressed for fear of not receiving presents, or not eating cake, or not seeing friends. What I will suggest instead is that a more basic fear may underlie this reaction — a fear that if the party is not held, the child might not age!"
The team at Woolley's lab at the University of Texas told kids three stories about children who were each 2 years old and who were about to celebrate their third birthday. One child had a party on his birthday. Another child, due to various circumstances, did not have a party. The third child, due to various other circumstances, had two parties. The children were asked to indicate how old each child would be.
Look, she's not going to remember it and it'll be hilarious to break these photos out as a teenager...
"Our results revealed that a significant number of children between the ages of 3 and 5 believed that the birthday party itself actually causes aging!" the psychologist said.
Many children said that the child who didn’t have a party would remain 3, and many responded that the child who had two parties would actually become 5 years old.
"Children, like adults, are driven to seek explanations for personal, meaningful events. To children, the annual experience of the seemingly sudden change from one age to another is of great significance. Yet there is no obvious physical cause, as there is with other sorts of changes. Thus, children may grab onto the event that regularly co-occurs with this age change – the party – and assign it a causal role," Woolley explained.
I... I was ok with the pacifiers... until I, I scrolled down further...
Also, children don't always like other people's suggestions. A recent survey of 2,000 parents with kids ages 3–12 discovered 73% say their youngsters are not so easy to impress.
According to parents, kids expect their favorite foods (67%) and clowns or costumed characters (56%) for their birthday party, more so than inflatable playsets (44%) or laser tag (43%).
As for party themes, 81% of parents receive a specific request from their kids, with unicorns (46%) rising to the top, and video game-themed (41%) birthdays among kids' popular picks.
I can hear sounds of bottles flipping and I'm already irritated
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Kinder Joy for the launch of their new birthday eggs, the survey also uncovered that the right guest list (58%), activities (58%) and treats (58%) are among parents’ absolute must-haves to make their kids’ birthday a success. Other essentials include goodie bags or party favors (49%).
At least the little ones know what they want. Working with an already established theme (albeit a funny one) sounds easier than coming up with something from scratch.
Vicki Broadbent of Honest Mum thinks children should have a say in their birthday theme, provided there is going to be one.
However, since the budget is often also a point of consideration, she suggests the family calmly discuss what is possible, making a party plan and brainstorming what might work for the get-together.
"I like to offer a few choices with my kids, including some options in a smaller group too," she explained. "Compromise might be required on both parts, so for example paying for entertainment might mean fewer numbers. We like to make a list of close friends as inviting the whole class isn't always possible and not everyone gets on! You want an easy-going and fun day!"
I would like my Lootie-Smooth-Pickled-Rat-Natrual-Flavoured coffe please
Destiny the concept, or Destiny the computer game? If it's the latter it shouldn't be too hard.
my kid wanted an Indiana Jones themed birthday, No cake. He wanted monkey brains.
Could have been worse, could have been melting nazis.
Load More Replies...They still happen, they just aren't as interesting to post about
Load More Replies...Theme? I got cake. White cake because that's what I liked. One year mom hired a clown but some of the attendees were traumatized. I do not understand the theatrics parents go through in modern life. Oh, and get off my lawn👵;)
I've had a lot of fun coming up with birthday cakes and activities over the years. Having a theme gives me some boundaries and helps my brain think of ideas (or search online for ideas). Raising three boys, we've done Lego, Minecraft (at least twice), Pokemon, Mario, the Flash, PJ Masks, Fortnite and probably one or two others I'm forgetting. For Lego we got a giant bag of random pieces from the used Lego store and setup a build area for the kids. For the Flash we taped a long strip of bubble wrap to the floor and let the kids run across it. For Pokemon I got some small pokemon figures and hid them around the house for the kids to find. Fortnite was a Nerf gun fight in the backyard and a dance contest. Each of these themes also had a custom cake that I made and usually a custom invitation and decorations. Organizing birthday parties for my kids is fun for me and I see it as one of the ways I express my love for them.
Load More Replies...at what age do you ask what theme they want for their party? Why would you go all the way, trouble and expenses for 3 year olds that will say something differen every day you ask? and where do you draw the line when it comes to themes? Also, is this an American thing? I mean i see my sister making themed cakes for her children but thats about all the theme there is. oh, maybe napkins, true.
I can't remember exactly when we started letting the kid decide on a theme for their party. I think it would have been around age 3-5. I also suggest giving kids that age choices rather than leaving it completely open. I would think about what their recent 2 or 3 interests have been and ask them to choose between those.
Load More Replies...When I was a kid the most exciting birthday I had was when my mom made mini-layered cakes, so everyone could eat an entire cake by themselves. It also beat that one birthday party I attended that were held at a McDonald's. Lol. But my kids are a very different generation. From they are 5 they can have themed birthday parties. So we have hosted one with Marshall from Paw Patrol as a theme and one with princesses/Easter as the theme. And I do fear that the next birthday (in early July) will be zombie-themed..... 🧟♀️🧟♂️
This reminds me of the waterwheel themed cake that my brother had one year- he was absolutely obsessed with them. Fortunately, there was a really nice cake decorator nearby who made a beautiful cake with a waterwheel on top.
my kid wanted an Indiana Jones themed birthday, No cake. He wanted monkey brains.
Could have been worse, could have been melting nazis.
Load More Replies...They still happen, they just aren't as interesting to post about
Load More Replies...Theme? I got cake. White cake because that's what I liked. One year mom hired a clown but some of the attendees were traumatized. I do not understand the theatrics parents go through in modern life. Oh, and get off my lawn👵;)
I've had a lot of fun coming up with birthday cakes and activities over the years. Having a theme gives me some boundaries and helps my brain think of ideas (or search online for ideas). Raising three boys, we've done Lego, Minecraft (at least twice), Pokemon, Mario, the Flash, PJ Masks, Fortnite and probably one or two others I'm forgetting. For Lego we got a giant bag of random pieces from the used Lego store and setup a build area for the kids. For the Flash we taped a long strip of bubble wrap to the floor and let the kids run across it. For Pokemon I got some small pokemon figures and hid them around the house for the kids to find. Fortnite was a Nerf gun fight in the backyard and a dance contest. Each of these themes also had a custom cake that I made and usually a custom invitation and decorations. Organizing birthday parties for my kids is fun for me and I see it as one of the ways I express my love for them.
Load More Replies...at what age do you ask what theme they want for their party? Why would you go all the way, trouble and expenses for 3 year olds that will say something differen every day you ask? and where do you draw the line when it comes to themes? Also, is this an American thing? I mean i see my sister making themed cakes for her children but thats about all the theme there is. oh, maybe napkins, true.
I can't remember exactly when we started letting the kid decide on a theme for their party. I think it would have been around age 3-5. I also suggest giving kids that age choices rather than leaving it completely open. I would think about what their recent 2 or 3 interests have been and ask them to choose between those.
Load More Replies...When I was a kid the most exciting birthday I had was when my mom made mini-layered cakes, so everyone could eat an entire cake by themselves. It also beat that one birthday party I attended that were held at a McDonald's. Lol. But my kids are a very different generation. From they are 5 they can have themed birthday parties. So we have hosted one with Marshall from Paw Patrol as a theme and one with princesses/Easter as the theme. And I do fear that the next birthday (in early July) will be zombie-themed..... 🧟♀️🧟♂️
This reminds me of the waterwheel themed cake that my brother had one year- he was absolutely obsessed with them. Fortunately, there was a really nice cake decorator nearby who made a beautiful cake with a waterwheel on top.