Nobody ever wants to make a youngster feel excluded especially during birthday parties. It may be quite upsetting to witness a little boy or girl appear sad or unhappy, therefore most parents do everything possible to avoid this from happening. Read the story to know what happened during a birthday party and let us know what you would have done.
Source: Reddit
Posting for my aunt so replays will be limited. Speaking as though my aunt is typing.
I’m a mother of 3 and as with most parents I’m sure, you’ve attended many birthday parties and had the misfortune of seeing that one parent who always drops their kids off and leaves without considering that not all the children were invited. Sometimes more than one parent does this and honestly I think its selfish. If it had been prearranged with the hosting family then sure alls well but often times it’s not. Who would say no to a child? After all its not their fault.
I’ve made no secret about my distaste for such behaviour when in the parent circle at parties. It’s an overall miserable situation for the sibling with no friend and usually out of their age group, and the hosting parent is left to try include an budgeted for kid.
Any emergency would at least come with an explanation and those parents I’m far more understanding towards. It’s the parent who has no regard for arrangements that gets to me.
Now for my daughter (10) we decided to keep things very small and private due to covid. We thought to take the kids to a craft party where each child gets a pre chosen crafting pack to work with for the event. This worked out as the kids could have fun while social distancing. This event is a per child prepaid event so any extra children would be unpaid for and would not have their own crafting kit. This fact was heavily emphasised to the parents and not a word of discontent was uttered.
Inevitably on the day parent A wants to drop of child A who was invited as well as child B who was not. Excuses of but they can share a craft pack and it’s not fair to child B were stated aggressively. When asked why child B couldn’t stay with parent A I was not given a reason other than child B was upset they couldn’t go.
I stuck to it and firmly told parent that child B could not come. I still stuck to my decision when child B threw the biggest tantrum, parent made no move to calm but instead blamed me for saying no and “all the other parents always let both children attend”
Now had this been a small at home event then sure I probably wouldn’t have made the fuss, grit my teeth and dealt with my private feelings on the matter. But this was a paid per child event and it’s hardly fair to child A or B that they would have to share a craft pack.
Parent A ended up taking both children home and I grit my teeth on my feelings about a child we had now paid for that wouldn’t be attending. I was half expecting it the moment parent A was told no.
Parent B who had seen the whole thing said I should have just taken the child because as stated above who says no to a child.
But I feel teaching my children the value of your word and sticking to it is more important that sparing the feelings of a child and parent who should know better. So AITA for not letting child B come?
Here are a few comments on the story where it was originally posted:
