What is with the goodie bags?

I know it will come as a shock to most of you, but it's been about 25 years (give or take a few years...take, please) since I've been in preschool/kindergarten but I haven't lost much of my memory yet.  I can not, for the life of me, remember ever getting goodie bags when a classmate had a birthday.  What I do remember was said classmate's mother sending in cupcakes/munchkins and maybe sippys to celebrate the birthday.  Jenna's birthday is in November and the last two years she's been the first birthday of the new school year.  Her first year, I brought in some munchkins and was able to be there when they celebrated.  This year, I bought cookies and sent them in for the class to share.  Well, it seems I am the uncool mommy!  Apparently, I didn't receive the memo about full blown class parties...some with balloons and all!  Some parents are bringing in full sheet cakes, bunches of balloons, presents for the birthday child and goodie bags for all the classmates.  WHAT!?!?!?!  So now we are expected to throw our children 3 parties...one for the family, one for the friends and one for the class?  I'm sorry, but I am sticking with the old school way of celebrating a birthday in class.  Unfortunately, I feel like my children will be the ones to suffer. :(

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