Why don’t we open gifts at kid parties anymore?

[Anonymous]

I wish baby amd wedding showers were like this too. Its the worst! Its so awkward and boring and a waste of time. I dont care if you did or didnt bring a gift. If you did I'll thank you when i open it later! So glad kids dont have to sit through this.

[Anonymous]

Why doesn't OP have a real problem?

[Anonymous]

I am so glad our ES has a culture of no gifts for whole class parties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a four year old and we’ve never been to a party that didn’t say “no gifts,” I’m hoping the trend continues!!

Similar, I’ve only been to on non no-gifts party

This must be regional. I don’t live in the DMV and we’ve never been to a no-gift party or heard it talked about.

Agree. I live in California. Gifts are the norm, and if the party is small kids will open the presents there. There is no hand-wringing.

In the DMV it is more common to do a no gifts party. If people bring gifts anyway it would be extremely rude to open them in front of other guests who didn’t bring gifts.

Not really, not when the kids are older than K or 1st grade.

Mom of a 1st grader and 4th grader in Arlington. We’ve been to 7 or 8 parties so far this school year and I have bought 2 presents, made one charitable donation and brought a new winter coat and mittens to another since they collected warm children’s clothes for an organization they volunteer with in lieu of presents.

I have boys and my 3 closest neighbors have girls. Giving gifts and opening them at the party seems like more of a girl thing. It happens at my neighbor’s parties for 7-11 yr old girls, but I have never seen a gift opened at a mixed gender or all boys party.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people are having a very hard time understanding that traditions die out. No one is asking why kids don’t play pin the tail on the donkey at parties anymore. Party hats used to be omnipresent. Anyone remember “button button who has the button”?Or pass the parcel? If it’s not good, it dies out. Even the birthday cake has changed over time - cupcakes, donuts, cookies are acceptable.

Okay - but opening presents at a birthday party, and giving/receiving gifts, are both traditions that happen at most birthday parties, once you get past the invite-absolutely-everyone phase of life.

Obviously opening presents and even giving/receiving gifts is not as common as it used to be. Many parties request no gifts these day - did you ever encounter that in your childhood? I didn’t. There are traditions that are dying out that I am sad about, but it is what it is. It’s hard to hear it, but we are no longer the generation deciding how traditions will evolve.

Whose generation? Parents are literally the ones making these decisions. Kids would choose to open presents at the party every time if given the option. And when birthday parties move past the invite-the-whole-class to only inviting friends, then they do open them at the party.

This whole thread is about a short span of time in a child's life. Decisions (no gift, open presents later) made purely for the parent's convenience.

Parents are making the right decision for their kids. Of course the kids would like to open the gifts because wow, look at all that stuff for ME! But that's not the message I want to reinforce. The point of the party it to celebrate with friends. It is not about gratuitous gifts and acquiring more unnecessary junk. Keep the focus on togetherness and having fun. Good riddance to the awkward, boring, only good for the guest of honor, gift opening spectacle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people are having a very hard time understanding that traditions die out. No one is asking why kids don’t play pin the tail on the donkey at parties anymore. Party hats used to be omnipresent. Anyone remember “button button who has the button”?Or pass the parcel? If it’s not good, it dies out. Even the birthday cake has changed over time - cupcakes, donuts, cookies are acceptable.

Okay - but opening presents at a birthday party, and giving/receiving gifts, are both traditions that happen at most birthday parties, once you get past the invite-absolutely-everyone phase of life.

Obviously opening presents and even giving/receiving gifts is not as common as it used to be. Many parties request no gifts these day - did you ever encounter that in your childhood? I didn’t. There are traditions that are dying out that I am sad about, but it is what it is. It’s hard to hear it, but we are no longer the generation deciding how traditions will evolve.

Whose generation? Parents are literally the ones making these decisions. Kids would choose to open presents at the party every time if given the option. And when birthday parties move past the invite-the-whole-class to only inviting friends, then they do open them at the party.

This whole thread is about a short span of time in a child's life. Decisions (no gift, open presents later) made purely for the parent's convenience.

You and your kids, but not all kids. Not me as a kid, and not my kids. Amazing that people can have different preferences, isn't it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some people are having a very hard time understanding that traditions die out. No one is asking why kids don’t play pin the tail on the donkey at parties anymore. Party hats used to be omnipresent. Anyone remember “button button who has the button”?Or pass the parcel? If it’s not good, it dies out. Even the birthday cake has changed over time - cupcakes, donuts, cookies are acceptable.

Speak for yourself. We play pass the parcel at our parties!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people are having a very hard time understanding that traditions die out. No one is asking why kids don’t play pin the tail on the donkey at parties anymore. Party hats used to be omnipresent. Anyone remember “button button who has the button”?Or pass the parcel? If it’s not good, it dies out. Even the birthday cake has changed over time - cupcakes, donuts, cookies are acceptable.

Okay - but opening presents at a birthday party, and giving/receiving gifts, are both traditions that happen at most birthday parties, once you get past the invite-absolutely-everyone phase of life.

Obviously opening presents and even giving/receiving gifts is not as common as it used to be. Many parties request no gifts these day - did you ever encounter that in your childhood? I didn’t. There are traditions that are dying out that I am sad about, but it is what it is. It’s hard to hear it, but we are no longer the generation deciding how traditions will evolve.

Whose generation? Parents are literally the ones making these decisions. Kids would choose to open presents at the party every time if given the option. And when birthday parties move past the invite-the-whole-class to only inviting friends, then they do open them at the party.

This whole thread is about a short span of time in a child's life. Decisions (no gift, open presents later) made purely for the parent's convenience.

Parents are making the right decision for their kids. Of course the kids would like to open the gifts because wow, look at all that stuff for ME! But that's not the message I want to reinforce. The point of the party it to celebrate with friends. It is not about gratuitous gifts and acquiring more unnecessary junk. Keep the focus on togetherness and having fun. Good riddance to the awkward, boring, only good for the guest of honor, gift opening spectacle.

So there is never a time when a person can be the center of attention? Thats what birthdays are for! Now I wouldnt want to sit through someone opening forty gifts but about 10 or under why not? It teaches how to give and receive in a kind way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people are having a very hard time understanding that traditions die out. No one is asking why kids don’t play pin the tail on the donkey at parties anymore. Party hats used to be omnipresent. Anyone remember “button button who has the button”?Or pass the parcel? If it’s not good, it dies out. Even the birthday cake has changed over time - cupcakes, donuts, cookies are acceptable.

Okay - but opening presents at a birthday party, and giving/receiving gifts, are both traditions that happen at most birthday parties, once you get past the invite-absolutely-everyone phase of life.

Obviously opening presents and even giving/receiving gifts is not as common as it used to be. Many parties request no gifts these day - did you ever encounter that in your childhood? I didn’t. There are traditions that are dying out that I am sad about, but it is what it is. It’s hard to hear it, but we are no longer the generation deciding how traditions will evolve.

Whose generation? Parents are literally the ones making these decisions. Kids would choose to open presents at the party every time if given the option. And when birthday parties move past the invite-the-whole-class to only inviting friends, then they do open them at the party.

This whole thread is about a short span of time in a child's life. Decisions (no gift, open presents later) made purely for the parent's convenience.

Exactly. Today there are many parents who choose not to have gift opening at their kids’ parties. And tomorrow, there will be more younger parents who decide the same. And then the tradition will change. If you are a stalwart for gift opening with your 8 and 10 year old kids, you are going to be irrelevant in less than 5 years when it comes to whether they open gifts at their parties or not. The next generation of parents will do what they want to with the tradition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some kids have searing, awful memories of those times OP. Imagine if you couldn’t give a “good” gift or if yours was meager compared to someone else. It became a pissing contest that, like always, generally embarrassed some kid with less money than everyone else who remembers it as “a fun time”.

Also, we’re all drowning in crap.

I agree. We don't open gifts for that reason, we understand that some parents can't afford to buy expensive gifts. We don't want to embarrass anyone. Plus, it is boring for other kids to watch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn't OP have a real problem?

Seriously. I was going to say “can we all have her life?” because she clearly has no real problems, but we wouldn’t want to be that type of person anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why doesn't OP have a real problem?

Seriously. I was going to say “can we all have her life?” because she clearly has no real problems, but we wouldn’t want to be that type of person anyway.

+1. And I don't care what she thinks. All of the PPs who posted are virtue signallers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some people are having a very hard time understanding that traditions die out. No one is asking why kids don’t play pin the tail on the donkey at parties anymore. Party hats used to be omnipresent. Anyone remember “button button who has the button”?Or pass the parcel? If it’s not good, it dies out. Even the birthday cake has changed over time - cupcakes, donuts, cookies are acceptable.

Okay - but opening presents at a birthday party, and giving/receiving gifts, are both traditions that happen at most birthday parties, once you get past the invite-absolutely-everyone phase of life.

Obviously opening presents and even giving/receiving gifts is not as common as it used to be. Many parties request no gifts these day - did you ever encounter that in your childhood? I didn’t. There are traditions that are dying out that I am sad about, but it is what it is. It’s hard to hear it, but we are no longer the generation deciding how traditions will evolve.

Whose generation? Parents are literally the ones making these decisions. Kids would choose to open presents at the party every time if given the option. And when birthday parties move past the invite-the-whole-class to only inviting friends, then they do open them at the party.

This whole thread is about a short span of time in a child's life. Decisions (no gift, open presents later) made purely for the parent's convenience.

Parents are making the right decision for their kids. Of course the kids would like to open the gifts because wow, look at all that stuff for ME! But that's not the message I want to reinforce. The point of the party it to celebrate with friends. It is not about gratuitous gifts and acquiring more unnecessary junk. Keep the focus on togetherness and having fun. Good riddance to the awkward, boring, only good for the guest of honor, gift opening spectacle.

So there is never a time when a person can be the center of attention? Thats what birthdays are for! Now I wouldnt want to sit through someone opening forty gifts but about 10 or under why not? It teaches how to give and receive in a kind way.

Have you ever been to a party? We sing Happy Birthday to the birthday person. All about them. We watch them blow out the candles. The entire party is all about them. The gifts, the gathering, the celebration, etc. Not to mention whatever celebration happened at home or with other family and friends. How much attention does your snowflake need? Maybe pay more attention to them the other 364 days of the year if they are so starved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some kids have searing, awful memories of those times OP. Imagine if you couldn’t give a “good” gift or if yours was meager compared to someone else. It became a pissing contest that, like always, generally embarrassed some kid with less money than everyone else who remembers it as “a fun time”.

Also, we’re all drowning in crap.

This! I’m so happy about no gift birthday parties. My kids don’t need more crap and they don’t need to sit around watching another kid open presents.