For One LOW Price!!!

I was browsing through a FAO catalog that came through the mail at work & wanted to let you know about an AMAZING deal!!! For one low price of $25,000 your kid can have a slumber party with 15 of their closest friends at the FAO store! With this you get "Ice Cream, Piano Lessons/dancing (on the giant Dance-On piano), rides on a 3-D motion simulator, & hours of games & activities throughout the store!" And, while at lunch yesterday, I also read an article in U.S. News about the amazing deal parents are getting on bar/bat mitzvah's, Quinceanera's, & other 'coming of age' parties. Some parents are spending as much as the low price of $65,000!!! (please note sarcasm)OK, OK you have GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!! this is freaking RIDICULOUS!!! When I was a kid we NEVER spent that much money on my bday parties & we STILL had "ice cream, piano lessons & dancing, a 3-D similator, hours of games & activities" aka... LOTS of FUN!!! We bought ice cream from the store, played the piano in the living room, if we wanted to dance...we'd just turn on the radio, our '3-D simulator' was watching movies too close to the TV (or when we were young enough for him to carry us...by playing 'Superman' with Dad). & 'hours of games & activities' were accomplished with our imaginations & the occasional pin the tail on the donkey, truth or dare, chubby bunny, & prank calls.Why are parents spending SO much money on a stinking birthday party? Does part of it have to do with the guilt of not spending enough time with their kids cus they are working a MILLION hours a week to spend money on the aforementioned party & then they are making up for the lost time with the elaborate gifts & parties that they worked SO SO hard to pay for that will last all of 3- 6 hours? Do parents think that they can buy the affection & love of their kids? (uh...anyone heard of 'quality time'?)