When parents get together to share stories, thousand-yard stares and all, children’s birthday parties will probably be high on the list of tales. While nappy changes and sleepless nights dominate the first few years of a child’s life, birthday parties continue long after the last nappy has been tossed in the (recycle) bin.
By the time a child is 16, the average parent will have spent a million hours sat in giant windowless units on industrial estates filled with trampolines; a million dirhams on birthday gifts; and a million minutes explaining why they won’t have any cake, but thank you. These are statistics I may have made up, but they will feel real to those in the know.
Like any parent, I too have a few solid birthday party anecdotes. A recent party I hosted for my son saw the birthday boy only make the last 30 minutes of the bash following an unexpected trip to A&E for stitches following a head-meets-pavement incident before the party started.
Then there was a party I hosted at a Jumeirah splash park, where a child was dropped off with no swimming trunks or towel, and so had to sit watching all the other children play in the water for two hours because no one had any spare swimmers and his mum didn’t answer her phone.
From a purely selfish perspective, this put rather a dampener (no pun intended) on my plans to spend the party in the water with my birthday boy, because I felt so guilty leaving the child sitting alone. His mother was also 30 minutes late picking him up, but party pickup tardiness is a gripe for a whole other column.
Discussions about children’s parties mainly focus on the little ones, but we don’t talk enough about mums and dads at these parties, of which there are two identifiable types: the stayers and the dropper-offers.
The stayer pulls up a chair, accepts the host’s offer of tea or coffee and gets involved in the subjects being discussed, which 99.9 per cent of the time will be the children and school fees.
The dropper-offer hands over the gift, exhorts their little one to behave and then is off to the shops / spa / cafe – or simply to lie down in their car and listen to a podcast without a tiny but insistent voice asking them what air is made of, or if they would rather be a banana or a giraffe.
While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being on either side of the birthday party divide, I feel it’s time we laid down some ground rules for both sets.
Dropper-offers, don't escape too far
Do check with the host before, not at the party, whether it’s OK to drop your child and leave. Asking on the day puts the host on the spot and they will have a dozen other things on their mind. Also, come back in good time.
Don't assume your child’s natural temperament will change because they’re at a party. Yes, little ones can act differently at home than they do with their friends, but if they’re naturally anxious or clingy, don’t leave that to the host to deal with.
Do keep your phone close at hand and stay local. If your child gets upset or needs help, you should be a walk, not a drive, away.
Don't think that the host can keep an eye on your child at all times. Of course they will try their best, but with a dozen other children, plus their own birthday boy or girl to watch over, the focus will be divided.
Stayers, do offer to help
Do bring other parents into your conversation. Groups of parents who all seem to know one another can be an intimidating sight for other parents turning up to the party. The children get to dash off excitedly into the embrace of their friends, so create an inclusive atmosphere for unfamiliar mums and dads.
Don't get involved in your child’s play. This applies to older children rather than little ones who may need help. Sit back and let the children run a little wild and sort out any issues that may arise between them. If Hamed wanted to be on Sophie’s team, but Aiza said that Eyan was going to be, Hamed and Aiza can sort it out, rather than their parents.
Do offer to help out, so the host parents know they have backup. Most of the time, the answer will be “no”, but there may be something small you can take on in exchange for your child being entertained for a couple of hours at someone else’s expense.
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RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Omania, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m
Winner: Brehaan, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez
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Winner: Craving, Connor Beasley, Simon Crisford
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Prep (PA) Dh100,000 2,200m
Winner: Rmmas, Tadhg O’Shea, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
Winner: Dahess D’Arabie, Connor Beasley, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Fertile De Croate, Sam Hitchcott, Ibrahim Aseel
Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
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- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
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PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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