Ah, the times they are a changing, aren’t they? It seems like the other day when children’s parties were all about play, presents and eating cake. Mom had to bake, cut party hats and plan meticulously to limit the inevitable destruction that came with a children’s party. Today parties are much easier on mom and yet many older mothers remember yesteryear as the good old days.

The games the kids played then were pin the tail on the donkey, pass the parcel, musical statues and treasure hunt. Then of course there is the one no doubt invented by a parent to bring a moment of peace and quiet into the proceedings, sleeping lions. In this game the kids had to pretend to be sleeping lions.

As times changed and life became more expensive mothers had to go out to work. They just did not have the time anymore to put all that work into a children’s party. However for any child party day is a day in Wonderland. It has to be special.

Trust the business people to spot the opportunity. If mom cannot do it, we can, they said and the children’s party 21^st century-style was born.

Today’s parties still have presents, sweet goodies to eat and games to play. Business somehow managed to make them more formal. The kids still run around, play and succeed to get the ice cream and cake on each other’s clothes and faces. They still scream and they still have fun. Wonderland is still with us but all too often kids are whisked off to some paid-for party area. Home is not Wonderland anymore. These days Wonderland can come with a quite a price tag.

The one thing that is missing nowadays is the personal contact. It is all good and well to take the kids out to a special place where they can play with little machines sounding like electronic musical bubbles. The kids have their fun and the games keep them enthralled. The little TV screens with their funny moving characters have a place in Wonderland. Nobody can deny that. They should however never be allowed to take over completely.

Kids need people. They need party entertainers. They need to see some magic performed by real life people and share in each other’s wide-eyed enjoyment. They need to laugh at a real-life entertainer.

Children’s parties are special. They always have been and they always will be. Then again a child’s life is special. They live in a world that only their imagination can create. In order to make that world complete they need to have contact with other human beings. Party entertainers provide some of that. We salute them. The fact is mom and dad are the center of their universe. They should always be involved when there is a party. They make the day complete.