Here We Go….

Today in the mail, Bridget received her first party invitation. Oy. The invitation was sent by a woman I know whose daughter is turning three. I used to be her boss at a past job and while the whole group has remained in touch and friendly, she and I aren’t really that close. Honestly, if she weren’t part of this group, I don’t think we’d bother to see each other ever again. She’s very nice but we just never had the bond that I have with a one or two of the other group.

First, let me say that I do not believe in birthday parties for children who are too young to have friends. It’s one thing to get together at the house with the family to watch a baby bury their face in some cake. Spending scads of money on an event at a place like Chuck E Cheese’s and the like for a three year old just baffles me. Why spend the money and the effort to plan an elaborate party for a child who is not going to remember it? Do you remember your third birthday? Well, I do, but I am a freak - most people don’t remember back that far. Save the effort for when they can anticipate and get excited about it, and actually have memories of the party, not to mention have some input on which children attend. I know that I am decidedly UNsentimental about such things. We didn’t buy Bridget any Christmas presents last year and honestly aren’t sure if we will this year either. As I think about her first birthday coming in a few months, I honestly don’t see any more fanfare than what I just mentioned. The family. A cake. Then a bath. But again, I don’t tend to be sentimental about these things. I go overboard on the sentimentality of many many things, but just not this particular thing.

All that aside, the other thing that has me scratching my head is why Bridget was sent an invitation to this event. She is five months old. She has never even laid eyes on the birthday girl, and if she had, would have been completely unaware of it. Bridget has only been around the mother one time for about an hour. Is that how it works? Your child has a birthday so you invite every single person you know who also has children? I don’t know, there is something about this that really bugs me. It’s like in this case it’s about showing off. Look at the party I’m throwing for my child. Look how much money I am spending. It’s not just this person either. I have a handful of friends with small children (toddler age) who have parties for them at Build-a-Bear and other similar “experience” places or rent bounce houses and have pony rides. These are kids who don’t even attend school yet. Who can they know to invite?

I am convinced that Bridget is going to spend a good deal of her childhood hating us because we refuse to be sucked into this type of thing. This sort of showing off just doesn’t sit well with me, and I am sure that there will be many eye rolls and refrains of “Mom you just don’t understand!”

I know, I know. Welcome to parenthood.

Filed under Mommy Zombie, Pet Peeves, What Would Emily Do? |