有一位家長在當地一家比薩餅店為她七歲的女兒開生日派對, 她最近問了我一個關於發邀請函給賓客的問題! 如果邀請了女兒的同學們, 但生日派對當天賓客們卻帶來他們的兄弟姐妹, 那該如何避免這些尷尬的情況呢? 難道每一次都要支付這些額外的費用嗎?
I recently received a question from a parent who threw a birthday party for her seven year old daughter at a local pizza parlor. Invitations were sent out to the classmates of her daughter, however the day of the party several parents also brought along the siblings. The frustrated parent inquired how to avoid this situation in the future since on this occasion she just paid the extra cost for the siblings.
My advice is to write “No siblings please” on the invitations. Should siblings show up, please speak with the parent away from the group and the children and let her know that you have purchased food, game tokens, tickets, etc., just for the party members. If the facility is opened to the public, suggest they make their own arrangements to pay admission, if applicable, and other dining choices as the party room is for RSVP guest only.
我的建議是在邀請函上寫"不包括兄弟姐妹在內!" 兄弟姐妹可以一起參加生日派對, 但是請通知主辦人, 讓他們知道您自費購買了一些食物,游戲代幣, 和門票等, 算對這個派對的一點心意. 如果設施對外開放, 建議他們自行付費, 以及其它餐飲選項只供RSVP賓客選擇.
Below are a few additional birthday party tips and suggestions regarding children’s parties:
以下是一些關於參加小朋友生日派對的禮儀小提示:
- Keep the guest list to a reasonable number. My general recommendation is one guest for each year of your child’s age plus one.
- 将客人名單維持在一個合理的人數範圍. 我的建議是當小朋友長大一嵗, 就多請一位客人.
- Don’t distribute birthday party invitations at school unless everyone gets one. Prevent hurt feelings by mailing invitations or call parents instead.
- 不要在學校散佈生日派對邀請函, 除非每個人都在邀請名單裡. 用郵寄邀請函或致電家長的方法可以防止傷感情.
- The time of your birthday party should also be determined by whether or not you will be serving a meal (not including cake and ice cream). Morning parties should end by 11:30 am, afternoon parties should begin about 1 pm, and evening parties should end around 5:30 pm. Nothing could distract a partygoer more than a growling tummy.
- 開生日派對的時間取決於你是否準備讓賓客們用餐 (不包括蛋糕或冰淇淋). 早上派對應該在中午11點半之前結束, 下午派對應該在中午1點開始, 而晚上派對應該在傍晚5點半左右結束. 對於一個賓客來說, 沒有其它東西比一個大胖肚子更困擾!
- Have plenty of adult help on hand.
- 需要足夠的成年人或家長幫忙.
- Make sure your child greets each guest. They should also be available to say “good-bye”.
- 讓你的子女對賓客們問好, 也在派對結束後對他們説"再見".
- Follow up with hand written thank you notes. As a part of good manners, be sure to have your child send out thank you notes 1-2 weeks after the party.
** We would like to thank Ms. Constance Hoffman, Harmony Cotillion Etiquette Instructor, for providing us such helpful information on manners for kids.