The Art of Birthday Party Shopping….

My daughters have been invited to a few birthday parties for cousins and classmates over the years so you might think I would have become skilled in the area of shopping for kid’s birthday presents. For some reason, I turn into the great Aunt who has never had children of her own and lives out of the country so has no connection either by geography or physical awareness of what other children might have on their wish-lists so I purchase items like pens with a Canadian flag floating in them or t-shirts, four sizes too small with Mickey Mouse & friends or scrapbooking supplies or bird feeders or shot glasses with the Eiffel tower.

I know what my own kids would like so you think this process would be simple. Pick something my kids would like, buy it, wrap it, slam dunk.

Oh look! A feathery-pink boa, my daughters would love that. But maybe little Kayla is allergic to goose down so instead I’ll buy her this practical, beige journal with a zebra on the front.

I found some adorable turquoise crocheted hats with a flower protruding from the band and bought one for each of my girls. Surely Kayla doesn’t want to be matchy with my three kids on the playground. Instead, I’ll give her something quite the opposite so there’s no confusion in the school cubbies (read, lice). Yep, this one with the deer antlers will do nicely—the beige will also set off the neutral tones in the journal.

I took note at Hanna’s birthday party many of her friends bought her clothes. I guess that stage in between dollies and make-up lands parents in the clothing department. That or parents and kids have noticed my kids dress like we found a bag of clothes at the side of the road and made a few simple bedazzled patches to make them our own.

What if Kayla already has a faux fur vest? Better stick with something less in-your-face, a beige sweater it is.

Hanna suggested buying her friend make-up and earrings, the ones with the ladybugs. I’m assuming the ladybug reference was to the earrings and if she’s recommending ladybug earrings, chances are good, with such a specific bug, it’s because she has seen Kayla wearing ladybug earrings already. Make-up is something I don’t want bought for my eight year old so I tend not to buy it for other same age girls. It’s messy, it’s Toddlers & Tiaras and did I mention they were eight? Hallowe’en slippers with bats on the front, into the cart you go.

What we have now is a typical mixed bag of useless birthday presents I will wrap, climb to the top of the closet to find a used gift bag that does not have a) Christmas decorations or b) new baby with rattles or black & white photographed baby feet all over it and will present Kayla with the following terrible present; hat with antlers, Mr. Furley’s brown cardigan, ladybug earrings which I will notice at the party she’s already wearing and fear not, a journal with a zebra on it to document the entire crappy haul from her now ex-friend.

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