Parties, pinatas,and parents

On the way to a birthday party today I asked the boys what the rules were for birthday parties.  One of them replied "Don't punch the birthday girl in the face"! OK yes that is a great rule, but not really along the lines of what I was thinking. I wished I had known more of birthday party etiquette growing up or at least applied it.  Most of my friends growing up were of another culture and you basically brought a present, ate until you threw up and went home.  My first American party ( I mean in terms of present, games, cake, candles and singing) that I remember we played a game where you tried to drop a clothes pin in a jar from a chair.  I didn't get it.  I thought the clothes pin went on your nose.  I didn't win that one. Granted I think I was three years old at the time. Fast forward about 18 years and I was "friends" with a guy my senior year of college. He invited me to his 21st birthday party and so I went. They had a tradition in their family that no matter how old you were you got a pinata.  It was my turn to hit the pinata so they blindfolded me and I went at it.  I hit that thing so hard over and over.  As I was finishing my turn I heard everyone yelling "stop".  Well during my turn they had yelled stop a lot sooner and I had failed to hear them.  His mom came in to tap my shoulder to tell me to stop and it turns out I was hitting her over and over again.  If there was ever a hole I wanted to climb in it was at that moment in time. She had welts all over her arms. That entire family was so sweet and assured me that is was all right, but I felt horrible. It didn't help that the next day she had bruises all over her arms. I didn't end up with that guy in the end, but the guy I did end up with gave me three sons that I adore. So when my son responded "don't punch the birthday girl in the face" he is years ahead of me!