|
|
Article: Birthday Party Politics You are cardially invited to enter the minefield of social rivalry that is the children's birthday bash, says Alice Wylie. RSVP
- Article from:
- The Scotsman
- Article date:
- July 2, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2008 The Scotsman. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
IT WAS once all so much simpler. A few balloons tied to the
garden gate, a game of musical chairs, some cheese and pineapple on
cocktail sticks that no-one ever ate and a slice of cake wrapped in
a soggy napkin to take home. Those were the golden days of
children's birthday parties, the days before competitive yummy
mummies managed to ruin it for all parents by decreeing that a
child's celebrations should be as extravagant and well-
choreographed as a royal wedding.
In Sweden this week, the case of an eight-year-old boy who handed
out birthday party invitations to all but two of his classmates has
been sent to parliament and sparked a national debate about
individual liberty. In a country ...