Would you drive 5 hours for a baby shower?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe everyone here is pressuring OP. When it’s my turn I will refuse all baby showers because I find them cringey. A shower is for mom. If she doesn’t want it, no one gets to pressure her.

I think it’s sad that so many people shun family celebrations.

You’ve never attended a lovely family shower at someone’s home or a nice restaurant? They’re fun. You don’t need to do cheesy games (I didn’t). But I enjoyed seeing elderly relatives (#peopledontliveforever) while enjoying good food.

PP - no, every baby shower I’ve ever been to had cheesy games and gift opening. If it were just a dinner at a restaurant with no gifts like your example then it would be nicer. (Still not sure I would drive 10 hours for it though)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP. I think we’re gonna propose doing it over Christmas, so we can make it a bit longer trip rather than cramming 10+ hours of driving in 2 days.

That sounds like a great way to handle it!

+1 Extremely reasonable!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone else wonder how such self-centered women who don’t value family can possibly be good mothers?

"Valuing family" = asking a pregnant woman to drive for 10 hours because you don't want to drive 10 hours to her city and back to attend the same event. Right.

Pregnancy is not a handicap and deserves no special privileges. The person recieving the gifts drives

Why must one drive for gifts one doesn't even want? I dislike showers and don't need anyone to buy me baby things, and I despise driving. No part of this scenario is appealing to me. You will probably pivot to say it's about family, but that's a 2-way street. The people purporting to honor the mother to be should accommodate her, not the other way around. In any case, you said the person receiving the gifts drives, but what if you don't want or need gifts, as is the case for most DMV mothers in their 30s? The truth is the whole point of a non-local shower is for the extended family, not the mother to be.

If you hate showers then why bother offering advice about attending one?

[Anonymous]

I just did this - 6.5 hours down, 4.5 hours back (traffic). It was worth it, because I got to see my mom for a few days and that's priceless. I was very uncomfortable, but my husband did all the driving so no whining from me. I thought of it more as a weekend trip rather than a baby shower, and trips to see family are always worth it IMO.