I am all about the "homey" feeling. I like when I walk into a place and people know who I am. From dentists offices to doctors offices to restaurants I visit....I love it when the same people are there every time and get to know myself and my special family. It takes the stress off of having to explain the "quirks" my daughter has and I know that the people in these places accept her for who she is.
All that being said, when it comes to birthday parties, it brings on a whole other world of issues as I am sure most of you can relate to. I typically look for a place that does 1 party at a time though I have made the mistake of not doing that in years past. Sometimes having too many people can bring on a lot of stress for not only my daughter but myself as well (ok, ok, I will admit...it brings on more stress for me then her). I don't want the other patrons to have to deal with the group of special needs kids who may not be/act like the "typical" kids who would go to these places. You know...our kids who may be slower or more distracted because of their surroundings and loud noises . I hate the looks our kids get from other parents and kids when the over stimulation gets to them and they have a meltdown and I hate the stress it causes the parents because of said meltdown. We have had parties each year for our daughter (she is 10 now) and I have tried just about everything. This year we tried something so amazing I plan on doing it again next year... a private trampoline party at Air Trampoline Sports. We had the ENTIRE place to ourselves (not including an exercise class that was going on at the same time but they were tucked away in the back so no one really knew they were there).
Let's back track to decision making time...Air Trampoline Sports in Ronkonkoma has started a monthly special needs hour the first Saturday morning of every month from 9:00 - 10:00 am. I know...woop de doo a whole hour dedicated to special needs especially when there is another trampoline place that dedicates 3 hours once a month...well...that's what I said...at first...Let me tell you...an hour is MORE then enough. By 30 mins into it my daughter is exhausted (now if they can only do this at night before bedtime it would be perfect). I sometimes forget that our kids typically have lower muscle tone so they tire quickly.
Anyway, we have been going to these monthly hours for about 6 months and have gotten to know the staff. The staff is typically the same and they get to know the families and most importantly the kids. The manager (Andrea) comes out to talk to the parents and make them feel welcome (which makes it quite "homey"). There is one employee there "TJ" who my daughter LOVES. He plays with her and is silly with her and she loves it. She looks forward to going back and playing with him each month.
So, after hearing that they do private special needs birthday parties, we decided to give it a try. I have to admit, I was a bit hesitant about it because their private parties are from 8:40am - 10:40am (they do it before the building opens to the general public) and having these kids eat pizza and cake at 10 am didn't thrill me but let me tell you...it was THE BEST party we have ever been to, let alone ever had for our daughter. All of the parents were able to relax knowing that their special kids were not disrupting anyone. They were able to network and talk with the other parents and really enjoy the break of not having to run after their children, knowing that they were having fun in a safe, loving and accepting environment. The staff was playing with the kids and having a great time. They even recognized some of them from the monthly special needs hours.
We have been to birthday parties at places like this during the regular hours and it is very hard for us, I walk out exhausted because of the stress of trying to watch my daughter's every move waiting to have to explain to a parent why their child is crying because my daughter is special needs and didn't realize that she could hurt someone by running from trampoline to trampoline or taking FOREVER to get out of the foam pit because she wanted to hang out in there, stopping others from having a turn. The private party was a few dollars more but worth every penny. It is the same basic staff that is there for the special needs jump hours so that made it even better for us. The kids didn't seem to mind eating so early and the parents enjoyed having the rest of the day to get done their errands.
My daughter actually said to me "mommy this is the best party ever". That my friends is PRICELESS and a Party Fit for a Queen!
Jenn
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