My daughter's 1st birthday is coming up in a few days, so the wifey and I are currently in "crunch-time" mode. I never thought that planning for children's parties could very tedious. There's talking to caterers, looking for the perfect host, coming up with a party theme, thinking of the entertainment and a variety of other tasks one no less important than the other. Long gone are the days when we would have our children's parties at home with simple food like hotdog & marshmallow on a stick and home-style spaghetti, with the kids you grew up playing with in the village your only guests. How times have changed. Kid's parties nowadays are a grand production in it itself. I mentioned to my wife a few days ago that the pressure of planning for our kid's party was similar to when we planned for our wedding. Its the minimum requirement to have a buffet spread, lunch or dinner at that.  You also "need" to have a photo booth for your guests. Entertainment such as magicians, bubble show, or a puppet show are a must, lest your guests get bored while eating. Who knows what children's parties 10 years from now will be like. I'm thinking along the lines of fireworks displays or Ipod giveaways. I'm shuddering as I type this.