My Fellow Bloggers are:
Shara
Sara
Wendy
and a big, bloggy welcome to Nicole!
This week's topic comes from Wendy!
"People either love em, or hate em; have them, or avoid them. How do you feel about birthday parties? (bonus points for sharing a birthday party story...)
I have 2 stances on this:
I LOVE my birthday (of course!) Historically, my birthday has great memories and to avoid completely ripping off a blog post I've already written on the topic, you can click HERE to read it.
Now, I will tell you Mean Jenn's stance on birthdays:
I cannot stand being invited to children's birthday parties for children I do not know. This has come up in the past with work friends or friends that I only know because we would see each other out socially, when said children are being tended to elsewhere.
This was especially awkward when I was single.
Why you ask? Let me list the reasons:
1) While I enjoy children, I have none of my own. Sometimes, I am at a loss as to what a 5 year old might like - I am guessing it's not the $10 bill I just put in a card, that I bought at Walgreens on my way to the party.
2) How awkward is it to be the only single person, without kids at an acquaintance's child's party? Not only do I not know the kid, I also don't know anyone else. I'll be over there...by the veggie platter...by myself, counting the minutes before I can say "I am SO SORRY I can't stay longer! I really must go."
3) I am not really a fan of cake. I know this is a birthday thing, and not a kid's birthday thing. I spent YEARS attending birthday parties for a friend's children where the mother would be PERSONALLY OFFENDED if I did not ingest her homemade cake. Don't get me wrong, it was very good. I just don't care for cake. I need to be in the mood for it. And it has to be chocolate.
3a) Why don't kids ever have chocolate birthday cake at their parties?? Is it for clean-up purposes? I swear, my kids will ONLY have chocolate birthday cakes. Damn the mess!
4) Small talk with people I don't know. "How do you know So & So?" - We work together. Then the awkward glance around the room "Which one of these little darlings are yours?" - None. "Oh. Do you have children?" - No, I do not. Then they are as confused as I am - who invites childless people to kid's birthday parties?
The exception to this rule, is family kid birthday parties. I am especially looking forward to my littlest niece, Gianna's 1st birthday this November.
OHHHHH JENN!!!! You totally just made me smile soooo big!! I'm totally one of the Moms who invite people and shove cake down thier throats!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! You sure you didn't just come to my kids birthday party?!?! ROFL ROFL ROFL!!!
ReplyDeleteLuckily, I have both chocolate and white cakes!! And normally, we have lots of other people to talk to, so it's not awkward for people. But honestly, it does sound like you described me!! HEHEHE!
i don't blame you. i wouldn't invite people i (or at least my kids) barely know to my kids' birthday parties. my husband invited some work friends to one of e's birthday parties one year. i didn't see some of them after that but did become close with another couple as a result. i also invited my sister's friend and her husband, whom i had just met that weekend, to come to m's 1st birthday...but they came later and just decorated cupcakes. e had a crush on her by that point. lol! it really all depends on the relationship you have with the person and how comfortable you think they'd be coming to the party. it's hard to plan for inviting and not offend someone if you left them out or something.
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