I love throwing parties, cocktail parties, dinner parties, bridal showers, baby showers and now with my son turning 5 we are planning a big Pirate birthday party.  The bounce house has been reserved, we have the guest list down and now it is time to decide what to put into those little goodie bags.  What I really dislike is when parents give a child a goodie bag directly, then you have no way to see what is in there before they get their little hands on it.  Most annoying toy has to be the whistle, why would you put this in a goodie bag?  The child is going to get in the car and go straight for the whistle because what is better in a small confined space than a child blowing a whistle?  I have actually pulled the car over to get the whistle out of my son’s mouth… he couldn’t hear me say stop it because it was so loud!  The second annoying item in the goody bag is candy, my son is very hyper active and pretty much the last thing I need is to add sugar to his diet.  The safest items for goodie bags in my opinion are bubbles, crayons, bouncy balls, puzzles, and other small toys.  Now that being said am I a total hypocrite for wanting to give pirate swords at my son’s party?  My plan is to give them away on the way out the door and to first ask the parents if it is okay with them.  But still I feel like I’m always so mad when I look into those goodie bags and think what where they thinking.  Another reason I think I’m being a total hypocrite is because I don’t allow my son to play with swords.  We were on a family vacation recently in St. Augustine and my mother in law bought him a pirate hat and sword.  I actually convinced my son we left the sword in Florida even after he saw me unpack it at home.  The only other toy he has that is a sword is a lightsaber my older brother bought him last year for his birthday and it is hidden in a closet.  What to do…to give the swords or not give the swords that is the question…