Recession forces many parents to downsize treats for children

GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — Jarratt Hughes and Marcia Harris splurged last year on a birthday party for one of their eight children. A show at Medieval Times dinner theater — complete with a four-course meal, Hollywood special effects and a jousting tournament — cost $500 for the whole family.

On Sunday, another daughter turns 13, but the festivities will be more reminiscent of the 1930s than the 11th century.

“She won’t get much,” said Hughes, who lost his job as a courier for a doctor’s office late last year. “We might just sing ‘Happy Birthday’ and have cake and ice cream with just the family.”

As the recession drags on, moms and dads are finding ways to dote on their kids without opening their wallets. Fancy birthday parties, music lessons, sports leagues and gifts are being scaled back or eliminated. Even the Tooth Fairy has been put on a budget.

The pain is not limited to the kids. Businesses are also feeling the pinch. And even parents with reliable incomes are saying “no” more often.

“Parents are cutting back across the board,” said BMO Capital Markets analyst Gerrick Johnson.

Hughes said the family began trimming costs after he lost his job. But the situation worsened after the recent death of a generous family member who had helped with mortgage payments. The couple decided Harris would support the family through her job as a maintenance worker for the federal government while Hughes stayed home with the kids, allowing them to avoid paying a heap of money for child care.

“It’s a big change,” Hughes said at a Target store in Greenbelt as he calmly turned down his kids’ pleas. Sons Jonathan and Joshua pointed to toys; daughter Ashley begged for a doll.

It’s a change for corporate America, too.

In 2008, sales of toys fell 3 percent to $21.6 billion from the previous year. Children’s clothing fell 2.2 percent to $36.8 billion, according to the research firm NPD Group.

At RockNfun Music in Falls Church, Va., the number of people, mostly children, taking guitar, piano and other lessons has fallen 5 percent to 10 percent in the past four months, co-owner Kevin Glass said.