When Chuck E. Cheese Just Won't Do

A new online group is encouraging parents to scale back childrens' birthday parties. The level of frivolity has apparently led to $38,000 shindigs for some lucky wee tots (as Super Nanny would probably put it). I'm all for dialing down the excess, but let's not pretend that it's just children who are benefitting from America's obsession with budget-busting bacchanalias (aliteration! woo). After all, pretty much every other life event is now celebrated with a small army of caterers. I doubt our grandparents were refinancing homes and maxing out credit cards (OK, they didn't have those back then, ahem) to pay for lavish bar mitzvahs, destination weddings and official Nascar-licensed caskets.