This month I went all out for Ella Rose’s birthday celebration… High Tea for Little Ladies. I baked, researched the best kid-friendly fruit punch recipes, had invitations made by a talented friend, took cake decorating classes (Yup – I really did), got a butler outfit for my husband, a maid outfit for our elder daughter and I was the chef. All servants for the beck and call of four little girls. It was cute, fun and truth be told, exhausting.

I was talking to a mom today, telling her about the lovely and tiring birthday party and all she said was “Jumping Jiminy’s is a much saner option”. I have to agree – but it was an experience our whole family enjoyed and the little ones had a blast. Being able to include everyone in the event was fun and I know we will remember the experience for a long, long time… but first I have to catch up on my rest.

Meanwhile our three year old seemed blissfully ignorant of all this – chewing ferociously on a candy cane – but I suspect those little wheels were turning and that she wasn’t buying any of her sister’s rationalizations. She’s silently biding her time, but at least we have a year to think of new explanations. For now she was happy enough to sit with our freshly-cut Santa and actually produce some faint smiles for the camera. She was almost as reluctant to show her joy as the two teenage boys who followed us. I watched with amusement while they dutifully sat with Santa; their mother holding their coats and looking very pleased with herself. Standing in line waiting for our prints, I asked the mother what it had taken to bribe her teens. She laughed and said it had taken a lot – to which the boys gave very satisfied grins – but it was worth it all because she now had a complete set of Santa pictures from new-born to sixteen. I wondered how soon we’d have to start bribing our girls.

We used to try and watch any movie before letting our kids see it, but as they see more and more outside the household, that becomes impossible. One useful replacement, however, is the internet. The Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) for example, has a parents’ guide for each film, describing what does or does not take place based on five criteria of adult content.