I am officially done with kids’ birthday parties

Last weekend my youngest child turned 10.

And as I madly raced around making chocolate crackles the night before her party (because I’m unorganised and basic that way), a realisation hit me with the force of a Mack Truck.

This could very well be the last time I ever prepare kids’ birthday party food.

I learnt through my eldest daughter (who is now 23), that after the age of 10 … kids aren’t so keen on birthday parties anymore.

It becomes all sleepovers and hanging with friends at the movies.

Pin the tail on the donkey, piñata and fairy bread is officially cactus.

As are chocolate crackles.

I have to admit, I may have sobbed into the melting copha for a bit.

As much as I have spent a lifetime complaining about the Logie Awards-like production that goes into preparing these kids’ birthday parties, I think I secretly love it.

Weeks of Pinterest pinning birthday cakes and party themes; the painstaking preparation of the party bags; the carefully curated candy buffet tables; hours of setting up pinatas and treasure hunts and picking up helium filled balloons; losing my mind when the pony doesn’t arrive on time for the kids’ rides .. ahh good times.

And just like that .. it stops.

And the cold reality of no more babies and no more wrapping pass the parcels ever again smashes you in the face.

It’s part “thank fk for that”, part “Oh but I want MORE BABIES .. I WANT MORE KIDS PARTIES TO HOST” (but mostly, thank fk for that).

SO to celebrate two decades of children’s birthday party preparations here is a selection of some of my girls’ birthday party photos.

Hope you enjoy.

*Meanwhile I’ll be sitting here crying into my leftover chocolate crackles*