Should both parents attend their child’s/teen’s birthday party?

[Anonymous]

One of my kids showed me a TikTok of a teen crying because her father went camping instead of attending her sweet 16 party.

There’s been similar threads here in the past about parents or siblings not attending parties.

Do you think both parents should attend all parties held for their child?

[Anonymous]

Yes unless there is something unavoidable like medical reasons or a work trip that can’t be rescheduled. Of course.

[Anonymous]

Yes, why not?

[Anonymous]

Why would someone schedule a camping trip on the same weekend as their kid’s birthday party? The only time my DH missed one of our children’s birthdays was when his mother died.

[Anonymous]

I'm guessing at 16 my kids might want to have a party with just their friends and just loose supervision, but if they didn't or it was a big sweet 16 bash (similar to a bar mitzvah or quincenera with youth and adults), I'd expect both parents to attend.

If it was something like a teen party in the rec room and parents were adjacent popping in and out, I'd like my spouse to be there to keep me company or enough advance notice so I could invite over a friend.

[Anonymous]

Yes. You only get 18 birthdays with them, if that. And 16 is special. Camping really isn't that important.

[Anonymous]

If you're divorced and your ex throws a party and doesn't invite you, then no.

[Anonymous]

Yes, of course.

[Anonymous]

I think both should attend. But DH has a work trip every year the month of DS' birthday and it gets scheduled kind of last minute. So I always wonder if it would be weird he didn't show up.

The only time I saw a party with one parent attending, the parents divorced later that year. These are all younger kids so maybe different for teens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:One of my kids showed me a TikTok of a teen crying because her father went camping instead of attending her sweet 16 party.

There’s been similar threads here in the past about parents or siblings not attending parties.

Do you think both parents should attend all parties held for their child?

Dads who would do this to a poor child are weird.

[Anonymous]

I'd be more concerned about my kid posting garbage like that on Tik tok

[Anonymous]

Is the TikTok of a random teen or a friend of your child? If random, who cares so disregard and assume they were being dramatic. The bigger question is should both parents be at a 16 year old’s party? In a perfect world, I guess it would be nice. Missing it is not going to scar this child. Geez.

[Anonymous]

Siblings their choice. Parents should go but maybe parents are divorced and dad was not invited or it was fake.

[Anonymous]

Well, I would not allow sixteen year olds to have a house party with no parent home.
At that age, I paid for my kid to eat out at a restaurant with friends .

(But generally speaking, I would want to see my kid on their birthday, rather than be out of town, if at all possible. )

[Anonymous]

Yes, if it is a party that is not just teens, both parents should attend if possible. If something like a work trip prevents it, that is fine, but a camping trip just for fun seems lousy.