Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. At 9 and 11 they are old enough to help. Family is important.

Help with what? Passing out cupcakes for 5 minutes of a 90 minute party? They won’t be allowed to help with the gym activities for liability reasons.

Help with whatever random crap comes up. Directing a kid to the bathrooms. Getting a straw in a juice box. Helping Dad haul all the gifts to the car. PLAYING WITH THEIR SISTER AT HER BIRTHDAY PARTY. Because that's what you do for immediate family.

Have you actually been to a My Gym party?

+1. There is literally nothing for 9 and 11 year olds to do at a My Gym party to “help” or otherwise. Maybe say hi to people as they enter? I would 100% let my older kid go to the party he was invited to. You almost didn’t bring him anyway!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. At 9 and 11 they are old enough to help. Family is important.

Help with what? Passing out cupcakes for 5 minutes of a 90 minute party? They won’t be allowed to help with the gym activities for liability reasons.

Help with whatever random crap comes up. Directing a kid to the bathrooms. Getting a straw in a juice box. Helping Dad haul all the gifts to the car. PLAYING WITH THEIR SISTER AT HER BIRTHDAY PARTY. Because that's what you do for immediate family.

Have you actually been to a My Gym party?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. At 9 and 11 they are old enough to help. Family is important.

Help with what? Passing out cupcakes for 5 minutes of a 90 minute party? They won’t be allowed to help with the gym activities for liability reasons.

Help with whatever random crap comes up. Directing a kid to the bathrooms. Getting a straw in a juice box. Helping Dad haul all the gifts to the car. PLAYING WITH THEIR SISTER AT HER BIRTHDAY PARTY. Because that's what you do for immediate family.

Yes. She isn’t old enough to remember if they were there or not, they cannot help, and they cannot participate. If her birthday is actually the day of the party, do something special for breakfast. If it’s not, have cake/cupcakes and sing Happy Birthday as a family that day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. At 9 and 11 they are old enough to help. Family is important.

+1. This is the first but far from last time a family obligation causes you to miss a friend event. My older kids would want to be with the little sister at her party.

Ummmm, if family was the most important then OP wouldn’t be having a party that excluded her other two kids. She’d have done something inclusive. This is a party for toddlers. Let the older boys go have fun some where. They can sing happy birthday to their sister on her actual birthday at home. Jeez.

No kidding. She deliberately excluded her sons, to the point that she first planned to keep them at home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. At 9 and 11 they are old enough to help. Family is important.

+1. This is the first but far from last time a family obligation causes you to miss a friend event. My older kids would want to be with the little sister at her party.

Ummmm, if family was the most important then OP wouldn’t be having a party that excluded her other two kids. She’d have done something inclusive. This is a party for toddlers. Let the older boys go have fun some where. They can sing happy birthday to their sister on her actual birthday at home. Jeez.

Y
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!

Let the kid go to his friends party. He’s not even allowed to participate in the baby party.

I let my 9 year old miss his 5 year old’s sister’s party for a friend’s. He’s been at plenty of her parties and it was a bunch of little kids versus his buddies. No question. He was there on her actual birthday, of course, and sang to her along with us.

Anonymous wrote:No. At 9 and 11 they are old enough to help. Family is important.

Help with what? Passing out cupcakes for 5 minutes of a 90 minute party? They won’t be allowed to help with the gym activities for liability reasons.

What does he want to do? I'd be fine with whatever the older child chose. There are so many command performances and things kids have to do by default that I like to let them choose when that's an option. Here, he can celebrate with her at home and then hear about her fun party when he gets back.

Anonymous wrote:No. At 9 and 11 they are old enough to help. Family is important.

+1. This is the first but far from last time a family obligation causes you to miss a friend event. My older kids would want to be with the little sister at her party.

You get kudos for not letting the big moments taper off for kid #3. The fact that you are even doing this is a big deal! No matter the outcome - pat on the back!!

Not me. It’s more important for me that my son celebrates his sister’s birthday than to go to another friend’s bday, even if it’s more fun. I also feel it’s a teachable moment that family comes first.

Anonymous wrote:No. At 9 and 11 they are old enough to help. Family is important.

Sure family is important, but OPs son's can't participate and her DD is going to be so busy with her friends doing planned activities that she won't even notice if her brothers are there or not. And as far as helping, the My Gym staff running the party neither wants nor needs their help. I'd absolutely let him go. Heck, I'd try to find a play date for the other one, too, if he wanted it so that he could have a good time elsewhere during the party.

Another for letting him go. For us, it always works best to have friends for parties and family for day-of cake and presents.