Article: BIRTHDAY PARTIES A LA MODE IT'S HOLD THE CAKE AND ICE CREAM, BRING ON THE AMUSEMENTS AND HIGH-TECH TOYS

Pin the Tail On The Donkey is passe. Pinatas are for wimps. In this day and age of short attention spans, sophisticated kids and working parents, a simple gathering for ice cream and cake is becoming a thing of the past.

Nowadays, birthday parties have become exercises in fiscal management and party politics. Parents are spending hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars for such gigs, both out of necessity and out of a need to give to their children.

At Ryan Family Amusements in Malden, weekends are full of such gatherings. Here, according to Diana Delano, "The kids have a lot more fun, they're not locked up in the house, and there's no mess." For the parent who doesn't want to deal with a ...

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