Gratuitous Domestic Posting (TM) - Pinata Watch

My rant about the sissification of pinatas the other day seems to have provoked some interest.

Just by way of update, the ritual sacrifice of the pinata at my five-year-old's birthday party yesterday went off pretty well. Because the party was inside and space was limited, we did not blindfold the batters. Thus, despite the slightly cramped conditions, no blood was drawn, no bruises were received and only one or two servings of chin-music were doled out among the guests awaiting their whacks.

One thing I had not thought out sufficiently ahead of time was the fact that store-bought pinatas are constructed of cardboard, not paper-mache. This makes them much tougher to punch through, especially for smaller kids. Because of this, each of the twelve girls at the party got three turns with the stick before the sacrificial candy star finally came apart (and even then, it required a little surreptitious help from Yours Truly). Next time around, I'll have to introduce some pre-fabbed structural weaknesses into the intended victim.

Other than that, it was a pleasant party. We held it at a local hotel that hires out its indoor pool for this kind of thing. The pool is small enough that the kids could be allowed to splash about in it without the adults having to get in as well. The hotel also includes the use of the conference room right next to the pool, providing punch and cookies to go along with whatever snacks you bring yourself. It was in this room that we had the pinata and cake. The only difficulty I had all afternoon was in trying to herd everyone out of the pool and into the room next door when it was time to get on with the festivities. My youngest girl in particular is so fond of swimming that the only way to get her out of a pool sometimes is to drain it.