Every mom who's thrown a birthday party for her kids knows that a lot can go wrong: Baked cakes may not look Pinterest-perfect, or some small guest melts down when he can't pin the tail on the donkey. That's par for the course … yet these snafus pale in comparison to the horror stories here.
In case you're curious just how bad a kid's birthday party can get, check out these cringeworthy anecdotes from moms … then make a fervent wish that something similar doesn't happen to you.
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The Not-So-Pleasant Surprise Party
"When our daughter was 8, she wanted a surprise party, so we planned one for her. But when she walked in, she burst into tears and said surprise parties made her heart hurt. What a disaster!"
The Pee Break in the Ball Pit
"I took my daughter to a birthday party venue with a ball pit — which the birthday boy ruined by standing on the side and peeing into it!"
The $18,000 Birthday Gift
"When my son turned 16, my ex-husband dropped off his gift at our house during the party: a new car. My son tried driving it immediately … and ended up barreling through the wall into my kitchen! It cost $18,000 to repair. I hate my ex-husband."
The Classic Clown Who Terrorized the Kids
"We hired a clown for my son’s fifth birthday party, only he terrified half the kids, who cried hysterically and hid. We had to nicely ask the poor clown to leave."
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The Sleepover Where All The Guests Left
"I had a sleepover birthday party for my 5-year-old daughter. Only at about 11 p.m., the kids started crying — not just one or two, but ALL of them. I ended up calling all the parents. Every girl was gone by midnight."
The Gifts One Guest Ruined
"At my niece's sixth birthday party, one little brat started opening all of my niece's gifts! Plus with almost every single one, she'd say something like 'That's stupid' and toss it. Nearly everyone watched in horror while the girl's mom just stood there smiling at her!"
The Pool Party Where One Guest Nearly Drowned
"During one birthday party a boy swam too deep in the pool and nearly drowned because his parents were too busy to watch him! Thank God I know CPR."
The Party With a 'Friendly' Pit Bull
"I attended a birthday party where the hosts' 'friendly' pit bull mix broke out of his cage and bit a child."
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The Skate Party That Broke a Hip
"My niece had a party at a roller rink. My mother-in-law decided she was going to skate too … and fell and broke her hip."
The Sick Guest Who Made Everyone Ill
"At my son's birthday party, one kid had a stomach bug and ended up puking in the middle of the ball pit, on the cake, even on the gifts while my sister and her husband were arguing over who had to clean him up. We ALL ended up with that bug."
The Party Where No One Showed Up
"My family went all out for my cousin's birthday, buying a $300 cake and decorating like crazy. Three hours later, though, only one boy showed up. By then my cousin was sobbing in the bathroom, saying no one came because they were jealous that she was rich. The boy admitted to me that the entire class had agreed not to go, because she made other kids feel bad if they didn't have nice things. The only reason he came was because he felt bad for her."
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