Myrtle Claus
Children's parties are celebrated in Italy very differently than I expected. But I got used to everything and over time I really came to appreciate this way of celebrating birthdays. There is a lot to be said for not inviting a small group of intimates, but just an entire school class.
No one has to feel left out that way. Brothers and sisters don't have to miss out on the fun. And it is nice for the accompanying parents to have time to catch up instead of a quick greeting in the schoolyard. Although after 3 parties in one week you sometimes don't have much new to tell each other.
These 'wild beast parties' have gradually become a thing of the past. As a parent, staying with it all the time gradually became 'bringing around 5 o'clock and getting back by 8'. And now the birthday parties in rented parish halls are completely over. Just like the possibility to celebrate parties at school.
End of the children's parties
It was ideal for parents like me who can spend nights worrying about everything that could happen to bouncing children of others at your child's party. But on the medium* you can no longer arrive with your bottles of soda and cake to sing to the birthday boy with teacher and class.
So the question remains how we will celebrate our youngest's 13th birthday. We no longer necessarily have to come up with something for the whole class: parties are now celebrated with smaller groups of about 10 to 12 people.
It doesn't have to be Dutch situations where one party has to be even more original than the other. That's why we went ice skating two years ago, and bowling last year. It reminded me of my childhood, were it not for the fact that halfway through the party we got pizza, fries and cake at the same time.
From little girls growing up…
Actually, the birthday boy would prefer to just go to the pizzeria with her friends. That's a bit of a squeeze for us. Not because of the pizzeria, because that is an easy solution for a guaranteed fun evening. But for the idea itself: 'pizzeria'.
Because birthday parties in pizzerias are a typical way for young adults to celebrate their birthday. A kind of terminal as far as children's parties are concerned. A farewell to an era that passed far too quickly.
Little girls grow up and our puk is no exception.
* The Italian 'scuola media' or 'medie' for short is the three-year school between primary and secondary education, both of which last 5 years.
(part 1 of this column about Italian children's parties can be found here)
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