Article by: Alejandra Medina, Columnist

Photo Courtesy of Canva

The phrase “gender reveal party” should elicit positive thoughts. Sadly, for me, “gender reveal party” brings to mind the wildfire sparked in Arizona when a father-to-be decided to go explosive. I am also reminded of the accidental death caused by an explosive glitter bomb at a gender reveal party in Iowa. Although these stories are extreme cases, what happened in them stays in the reader’s mind longer than desired. I am almost positive some readers were either moms-to-be or dads-to-be and they took these two stories as a warning. I am also almost certain some of these parents-to-be thought, “We are going to outmatch those parents and do explosives right!” There are many ways to feel after reading these two stories, and these feelings are valid. I believe that if expecting parents decide to have an extreme gender reveal party, they should take extra precautions to ensure everyone’s safety.

After hearing these two stories, I allowed them to stay in my mind. I know the two stories are far from the norm, that not everyone decides to use an explosion to proclaim the gender of their child. However, I cannot help but wonder why. Why did these two families, and most likely other families out there, decide to use explosives to reveal the sex? Why not stick with the simple method of cutting open a cake to reveal a color? Or opening a present to find a toy inside? Bringing excitement to a party is understandable, but the hosts must be responsible and put safety first.

I honestly think that some people forget to plan for the unforeseeable, especially if an explosive is involved. Some people might be too haughty, thinking it’ll turn out okay in the end, that nobody will get hurt. A few people might miss one crucial part, the one thing that will keep either their family or their environment from going up in flames. Whatever the case may be, planning ahead should be a top priority. 

To the parents who wish to go big for their gender reveal parties, please do as much preparation as you can before your big reveal. If you want to use an explosive device, check that the instructions are verified, experiment with the device in a safe and secure area, and create a backup plan in case something goes wrong. There has already been a wildfire and a death from two gender reveal parties gone wrong. I do not want to read about another big catastrophe with “gender reveal party” next to it. Seriously, let’s keep the celebrations fun, happy, and safe.