If you RSVP to a kids party and don’t show up...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I once showed up to a party the Saturday before.

I was flaky at the time, actually in the midst of a nervous breakdown.

You never know what is going on in other people’s lives.

This. You never know what's going on in other people's lives.

These "she sucks" posters are so self-centered it doesn't occur to them that another family might have an issue occur that could bump their precious kids' parties from someone's mind.

Someday these posters will forget a party, or have a suddenly sick kid, or a car problem at an inconvenient time, or otherwise find that they don't control everything all the time. Then they'll say of course that THEY have a legit excuse for missing a party at the last second.

No one cares what is going on in your life. If you RSVPed yes and were a No show, have the courtesy to email the host and give some fake apology at the least.

[Anonymous]

Everyone knows kids parties are the very lowest on the totem pole of social obligations. I actually enjoy them and good with RSVPs.

I think people get very emo about their OWN kids party, meanwhile probably do half what they complain about for other kids parties. Once your kids are in school for a while and you have more than one kid, it is not unusual to be invited several parties, often the same day or weekend. A lot of people mean to go but do the first one of the day and the kids are melting down and it just doesn't work out. Or they are sick. Or they had a family emergency. Or their baby/toddler falls asleep and they don't want to wake them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everyone knows kids parties are the very lowest on the totem pole of social obligations. I actually enjoy them and good with RSVPs.

I think people get very emo about their OWN kids party, meanwhile probably do half what they complain about for other kids parties. Once your kids are in school for a while and you have more than one kid, it is not unusual to be invited several parties, often the same day or weekend. A lot of people mean to go but do the first one of the day and the kids are melting down and it just doesn't work out. Or they are sick. Or they had a family emergency. Or their baby/toddler falls asleep and they don't want to wake them.

Again, the issue is not you not showing up. One less kid is not the end of the world. But people get upset if you are rude and do not have the courtesy to email or text the host an apology. Nobody is that busy to not send an apology note. It just shows that people lack manners and are just plain rude.

[Anonymous]

Two people RSVP’ed yes and then didn’t come to my kid’s party this year. No big deal really but I do think it’s weird that I’ve seen the parents at lots of other events since then and they haven’t ever even mentioned it. At least tell me that someone got sick, or you forgot, or something.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:People who do this are very very rude. It’s that simple.

Whenever I’ve had to cancel because my kid was sick, I’ve always texted the host to let them know.

+1. Some people are just awful. At my kid’s party when he was 5, one of the invited kids’ mom wrote me to ask if she could bring the older sibling because she couldn’t bring just one. I said fine to be polite. Then the mom was a no show. So I paid for 2 no-show slots when I would have happily invited family friends. The mom didn’t even apologize until I saw her a few weeks later at a soccer game and then she mumbled something about being very busy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everyone knows kids parties are the very lowest on the totem pole of social obligations. I actually enjoy them and good with RSVPs.

I think people get very emo about their OWN kids party, meanwhile probably do half what they complain about for other kids parties. Once your kids are in school for a while and you have more than one kid, it is not unusual to be invited several parties, often the same day or weekend. A lot of people mean to go but do the first one of the day and the kids are melting down and it just doesn't work out. Or they are sick. Or they had a family emergency. Or their baby/toddler falls asleep and they don't want to wake them.

Again, the issue is not you not showing up. One less kid is not the end of the world. But people get upset if you are rude and do not have the courtesy to email or text the host an apology. Nobody is that busy to not send an apology note. It just shows that people lack manners and are just plain rude.

+1. This. After doing these for years- 3 kids- I expect a no show or two (Along with a few who didn’t RSVP and just show up). But at least have the courtesy to text a last minute excuse or send an apology note later. People are astonishingly rude.

[Anonymous]

OP here. I did reach out to mom and she said her cousin was in the ICU so they were dealing with that all weekend. I, of course, sympathize with that, however, I don't see it as an excuse to just not show up and not say anything. A two second "sorry, can't make it today" would be appropriate. She wasn't going to say anything if I hadn't reached out.