Let's Tone Down Those Over-The-Top Kid Birthday Parties

My childhood favorite was in my backyard. I was turning 10 or 11, and my mom had made a giant chocolate chip cookie in the shape of a heart, big enough for every one of my eight friends to have a slice.

The only entertainment was my younger brother, who was 6, and a bunch of helium balloons. We listened to music, danced on the lawn, and laughed for hours.