FA M I LY H O O D
Berdahl Family by Hannah Weise Basic Family Info John (Dad), Tamme (Mom), Tommy 4.5, Anabel 1.5 How much is appropriate to spend on a birthday party for a child? “I think birthday parties shouldn’t be about the money or about trying to impress people. It’s about making a memory for your kids,” Tamme states. She has hosted birthday parties in the past where she made everything she possibly could, but she also enjoys the advantages holding the party outside the home can offer. Ultimately, “It’s more about the memories than it is about the cost.” How many kids should be invited to the party? For a party in the home, Tamme suggests keeping the guest list at eight or fewer children. Too many children can be difficult to supervise alone. For a well-prepared location outside the home, she says, “The sky is the limit.” The number of guests you should invite depends on your budget and how many friends your child wants to invite. A larger venue can support more children. However, when you have parties outside the home, you often pay more for invitations, favors, decorations, and food. Do children play a role in planning the party? “Absolutely! I try to have them involved as much as possible,” Tamme says. The level of involvement depends on the ages of the children. For her daughter Anabel’s second birthday, Tamme is thinking about basing the party’s theme on rainbows, one of Anabel’s favorite things. She is already talking to Tommy about his next birthday party. At what age do you stop throwing birthday parties . . . or do you? “I love entertaining, so there probably won’t be a birthday that won’t be celebrated in our house,” Tamme states. As her kids get older, the parties will change to be age appropriate. Her children will play a larger role in planning their parties as they get older. “It’s so important to feel special on your 22 | April 2012 | thehoodmagazine.com
birthday, and it’s so nice if someone honors you, especially without being asked. It makes you feel loved,” Tamme says. How else do you celebrate life with your children? Tamme’s favorite way to celebrate life with her children is through a gratitude book she keeps in her office. “Any time my kids say something funny or I want to journal about them, I write down quotes of things they’ve said in my book with the date,” Tamme explains. She also records prayers and other positive memories. In addition to the gratitude book, the Berdahl family annually orders a family photo “yearbook” online. Both Anabel and Tommy also go on individual “date nights” with one or both of their parents on a regular basis. Most Recent Birthday Party The Berdahl family had a superhero-themed party for Tommy when he turned four. Tamme tried to keep the theme generic so that the kids were free to use their imaginations and create their own superhero. They held the party at Wings Gymnastics Academy where, upon arriving, each of the sixteen kids present had to go through an obstacle course for “superhero training.” Upon successful completion, each child received his or her own cape and mask. Everyone was then given some free time to further enjoy the obstacle course. John, Tamme’s husband, wore a costume complete with a black cape so that the kids would have a villain to chase. An older sibling of one of the guests also donned black attire and played the part of a bad guy. For party favors, the children were given a glow sword, stickers, suckers, and snacks. Tamme served superhero ropes (licorice) and superhero sandwiches (Oreos), attached small capes to each sucker, made star-shaped rice krispie treats, and gave each child a bottle of water with superheroes taped to the outside. At the end of the party, each child received an award with their superhero name and special power listed on the certificate. At the end of the party, the only cleaning Tamme had to do was to clear the tables.