Household Dispute :: 4th Of July Activities

Since moving into our home in 2000, we have been hosting an annual 4th of July BBQ party and this year will be no different - well it might be a little different.

While we will still be hosting the party and it will be the same good time with plenty of food and drinks; there will be more kids in attendance.

During the inaugural party eight years ago, we had a few neighbors with kids but none of our friends had any children. Fast forward to today and the couples with children far outweigh those without.

When it is all said and done, there will be anywhere from 17-22 kids in attendance this year with the general age range between 5 years old and 9 years old.

The household dispute is centered around activities for the kids to enjoy.

We own one of those moonwalk bouncy contraptions and set that up every year. In addition, we usually fill up 200-300 water balloons for the obligatory water balloon fight and feature back yard games such as cornhole (bean bag toss for the uninitiated), ladder golf, and bocce ball.

Beyond these “organized” games, the kids typically run around the yard playing in the fort or the sandbox entertaining themselves.

This year my wife does not feel that the above is sufficient.

I do.

She wants to nix the water balloons, as it bordered on violent last year, and instead opt to rent an additional combo moonwalk and slide inflatable thing-a-ma-job.

I don’t.

The inflatable rectangle of joy that we currently own measures 8′ by 6′ when measuring the interior bouncing area. With more kids nearing the upper range of the 5-9 age bracket, it really isn’t big enough for a lot of them - but the smaller kids can still enjoy it.

The thought is that we can rent a moonwalk that is 15′ by 15′ for the entire day and the bigger kids can bounce their heart out in that while the smaller kids enjoy the bouncy that we own.

At a cost of $250 for the entire day, I think that is an expensive option given that most of the older kids will probably bounce in it for 15-20 minutes and be done. As an example, we just set up our smaller bouncy for our two kids and they were in it for about 10 minutes when a friend called and asked to play. They quickly ditched the bouncy for the time playing with their friends.

When my wife asks me what the kids will do if we don’t have a larger bouncy (or some alternative like a huge inflatable water slide), my response is that they can have a cornhole tournament or we can play some games like dodgeball, tag, or whatever.

Her response to that is those are everyday activities - the 4th of July party should be special.

I agree - but it doesn’t have to be $250 special in my opinion.

As we continue to discuss our options, my wife suggested that I turn to the community and see what everyone thinks about our household dispute.

Should we rent an additional moonwalk bouncy for the older kids?

Are there other activities that would be better?

Speak your mind!