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I’ve been hearing whispers lately of parents asking other parents to sign a waiver before their child comes over to play, or before their kid is dropped off at little Suzie’s birthday party. at first I thought it was a joke. Surely parents aren’t that nuts, I thought. sure, many of us are a bit more uptight, shall we say, about our children’s safety than in generations past. But a waiver? That’s just a whole other level of insanity. Turns out it’s a thing.

In a recent Miss Manners column in the Washington Post, for instance, a reader wrote in with the following:

“my son is invited to spend time in the home of one of his classmates. The classmate’s parents request that I sign a release of liability before my son arrives. I think this is unbelievably rude — as if to imply that I would sue them if there is an accident or injury! Am I overreacting, or has our society really come to believe that anyone who visits your home, and is injured, will sue?”

She replied by wondering “what goes in that household that such a precaution is necessary?” though that’s not how I see it all. I see it as this classmate’s parents being ridiculously paranoid, plain and simple (I wouldn’t leave my child there unattended, that’s for sure).

And at one of my favorite sites, Free Range Kids, a mother writes in asking to deal with a playdate waiver (yes, a playdate waiver) she was asked to sign by a new neighbor. it was actually four pages long and referred specifically to the trampoline in their backyard (death trap!).

Look, I get that parents don’t want to be sued. who does? But to ask your kids’ friends’ parents to sign a liability waiver pre-playdate is just absurd. what ever happened to just having some faith? That said, many indoor playgrounds, for example, asks parents to sign a waiver (I think I had to sign one for my son’s birthday party at a trampoline place). That’s different, though, as it’s a business as opposed to someone’s home.

The truth is, kids get hurt. It’s a part of childhood. Our job as parents is to help avoid injuries as much as possible, but that doesn’t mean we should be hovering over our kids 24/7. and it certainly doesn’t mean we should be asking our friends to sign waivers every time they drop little Johnny off at our house for a playdate. has the world gone mad?

But take it from me, as a lifetime member of the Guy Club for Men, most of us would rather clean a bathroom than go to a birthday party, and we hate cleaning bathrooms.” Many things divide the genders and cake-and-candle-day is one of them.
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The city of Macomb's namesake, General Alexander Macomb, was honored with a community birthday party Tuesday in Chandler Park. Macomb Mayor Mike Inman issued an official proclamation declaring April 3 as “General Alexander Macomb Day.
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By Mike Pound news@joplinglobe.com A few weeks ago my wife volunteered to host a birthday party this past Sunday that would be attended by eight or nine 5-year-old girls. yes, to answer your question, my wife is crazy. why would someone host a birthday …
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When we decided to plan a 90th birthday party for her she claimed she didn't turn 90 till the next year. Then, the next year she said, “Why would you throw me a party this year? I turned 90 last year.” Sharp as a tack till the end, that one.
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GRESHAM, Ore. – a brazen crime ruined a family’s birthday party for a 10-year-old girl.Gresham Skate World on Northeast Kelly Avenue is a place where grownups and kids go to have fun but throw a thief in the mix and things can go bad real quick.Saturday evening a woman entered the skating rink, saying she was part of a birthday party. She wasn’t, but she blended in well and no one caught on."She came prepared," said Denise Smoke, who was throwing the birthday party for her daughter. "She brought in a gift bag, you know? and she was mingling with people. She was talking to them and being very friendly. I mean, she was very bold, so this is not – obviously not – her first time. But she needs to be caught."Surveillance video shows the woman reaching under the birthday party table two times and then leaving with the bag that she had brought in with her.Minutes after the woman left, someone found a wallet in a restroom that had been taken from a person at the birthday party. Smoke found that her wallet was missing too. Smoke said she wants to warn others to watch out for this type of con. now the good news is that Gresham Skate World just installed a handful of new surveillance cameras this past week and the thief was spotted several times on the video. anyone who recognizes her is asked to call police.

We've got plenty of good birthday party hacks, but Christine's six tips for throwing a minimalist birthday party should be where everyone begins.
www.parenthacks.com/…/six-tips-for-throwing-a-minimalist-bi…

Rare is the birthday party these days that's a simple home affair: even there, the bar is set increasingly higher as parents hire clowns and mad scientists to put on a show for their darlings. But with a few exceptions for my son's pool parties, …
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TIME

In the first scene of “The Birthday Party” Meg asks Petey about the newspaper he is reading, She says “What does it say?” and he replies “Nothing much”. Actually nothing much happens in the play either, or at least nothing which really makes sense.
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Birthday party to toast leap year babies

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Not too many 11-year-olds are the first citizen of a European capital, but Dublin currently holds that honour.

Lord mayor of Dublin Andrew Montague turns 11 today and the capital city’s head man is planning to share it with his fellow leap yearlings at a special birthday bash. “It’s one of those quirky dates to be born. I’m technically the youngest lord mayor and I don’t look a day over 11,” he joked. the Mansion House will be celebrating the leap year with a party for some of Ireland’s leap year children and adults. Seeing as they only get a birthday once in every four years, the lord mayor felt it was a party they more than deserved. “In four years’ time, who knows who will be lord mayor, but seeing as it fell in a year when I was lord mayor, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to celebrate it with my fellow leap yearlings.” also attending the party will be Lana and Robyn McKeon from Clonsilla in Dublin. the girls were born on Feb 29, but four years apart. their mother Suzanne said she didn’t know what the odds were on such an occurrence but flatly ruled out a hat trick. “The papers keep talking about it but I’ve no idea what the odds were and it’s not likely that there will be a hat trick. “The girls are really enjoying the excitement though so it’s great. They are going up to Monaghan to talk to Ryan Tubridy before going to the Mansion House. It’s nice to have a bit of fun amidst all the doom and gloom.” the day will also give women the chance to see just how it feels to be the one who has to go down on one knee and pop the question of all questions. the right of every woman to propose on Feb 29 only happens once every four years and, according to an 11850 poll, although most Irish ladies are staying traditional and are waiting for their man to propose, more than 20% will be taking things into their own hands by popping the question this leap year.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Wednesday, February 29, 2012