I'm not pointing fingers anywhere (and I know we're all very busy), but it seems to me that many invitations we receive to kid birthday parties are missing critical pieces of information that would make everyone's life easier.
For anyone in my readership who has (or will have) school-aged children, I'm about to make you the hero of your classroom--here's the deal:
Street address including zip code - This might seem obvious, but I can't tell you how many times I've gone to put the address into my GPS or Google maps and not had all the info I need.
Phone number for a contact (including area code) - Please don't make me Google the area code...
Start time and END time - I have a life to plan, and other children. I need to know how long this shindig is gonna go.
Is it a dropoff or stick around party? When the children are really little, it's obvious you want the parents to stick around, but when they get into Kindergarten and older, there's always an awkward moment at the door...should I stay or should I go? Just tell me up-front that your'e going to have wine for the adults, and you've got me! I'll even help serve cake and ice cream. Tell me I can have two hours of freedom, and I'll happily do some errands and be eternally grateful.
Do I need special equipment? Should my child be dressed for a mess (egg toss) or for the pool (swimsuit and towel)?
Who exactly is invited - As the mom of boy/girl twins, I have to do the Kabuki dance of "which twin was invited, or were both of them invited" almost every time we get an invitation. Also, seriously...find out who has a twin sibling in the class. Really.
Are you feeding them lunch or dinner? Another seeming no-brainer, but every time there's a party somewhere around meal-time, we're always left wondering if the rest of the family should just go ahead and eat.
Sorry to sound ranty, but let's use our common sense, people! Even if you're using evite.com, there is space for all of these details.
Did I miss anything?
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