Recently, I casually mentioned a child’s birthday party around my 82-year-old grandfather. Following the story, he informed me that he did not have birthday parties growing up. Not only was it not common to have large birthday parties, but his parents likely could not afford the luxury. Party favors were definitely not a consideration.
Fast forward to the present and our kid’s birthday parties are on the other extreme. Many kids have elaborate birthdays every year with parents spending hundreds and some thousands of dollars to give a child a fun birthday. The type of party and the expense a parent wishes to spend is completely their choice. While it is their choice, I have one request for parents: Please stop handing out party favors. I especially request that the party favors be eliminated that involve plastic junk and candy.
No More Party Favors
Why do I request this of parents? If you really want to understand why we should stop handing out the plastic junk, take a look at your kid’s toys. In their toys, you will find a bunch of plastic little toys that accumulate from parties and fast food restaurants. In our house, these toys are the ones that break easily and are scattered around to be a mess in the house. These toys are also the first to go when we clean out our toys for trash or giveaway. The plastic junk is really not great for giving away, because who wants to hand me down cheap plastic toys?
Waste of Money
Buying party favors are not exactly inexpensive. If more than 10 kids are attending a party, the party favor expense can add up quickly. Do you really want to spend hard earned money on something that is likely going to be thrown away?
Brief Joy But a Lifetime of Waste
Party favors may bring your child brief joy to hand out to their friends. Their friends will also experience brief joy by receiving the gift. I can guarantee the party favors will be forgotten and lost at the bottom of a toy basket by the end of the week. If not lost, anything plastic will likely be broken to be tossed into a landfill. The long term cost for our kids with more landfill waste is not worth the brief moment of joy they may enjoy from the party favor. The waste we provide for our kids will be left for them to handle for years to come.
If you cannot break away from social norms, consider creative party favors that will not make it to the trash by the following day.
