Planning a birthday party takes a lot of preparation and sometimes things don’t go quite as planned. Here are a few more  helpful tips from Mike Perrello on planning a birthday party:

What do I do if someone brings siblings or a parent stays unexpectantly? Do your best to plan but always have a few extra goodie bags and prizes on hand. Parents who stay probably won’t mind helping.

One child is being rude and running the games and party. What should I do? Try to distract the child with a job to make him or her feel special with extra attention. If there is another adult present ask the adult to help supervise the child. If all else fails, warn the child that you’re going to have to call their parents to pick them up if they don’t settle down.

What if the birthday child doesn’t like one of the gifts? You can avoid this scenario altogether by not opening gifts at the party. Most parents prefer to open gifts later with the family anyway. If you do decide to have your child open the gifts at the party you can talk to your child beforehand making sure he or she is prepared to thank each person for the gift they brought and show excitement for each gift, no matter what.

Should we send thank you notes? While not required they are recommended and are a nice gesture. It teaches responsibility, politeness and respect for others.