That is great that you are shaking some rust off. That is of course to be expected after a long absence! Controlling kids is really tough. I haven't had the chance to do parties but I can imagine that they could be nightmares in crowd control.
When I was doing Spring Fair last year me and my partner were the primary entertainment for kids there and they followed us around, yelled during our shows and knew every trick or line that we didn't improvise. At times it was over whelming. I talked to a mentor and he said that you must show kids who's boss right off without being mean, but you have to be firm. Even a clown can be considered an adult! Usually kids have been raised to listen to what they're told. There is a fine balance between being off putting and firm of course but the main thing is to establish who is boss right off.
That mentor is a stage magician and he has to deal with hecklers and adults who don't behave. A guy he called up on stage started trying to take over the trick and my mentor just said "Hey, why are you messing with me? Don't mess with the show." I was a little shocked he said that but it worked. The guy clammed right up!
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