There are some traditions that modern parents have surprisingly rejected.
One of them is birthday parties. Now, when I was a kid, it was common to attend a party at a Chuck E. Cheese every now and then, but some parents are doing away with big parties altogether.
After no one showed up to one little girl’s birthday party, many people were heartbroken for her, but a lot of parents defended the decision of those who chose not to attend.
Twitter user @sydneyrsnell tweeted this photo of her little sister’s birthday party.
As you can see, no one showed up for little Etta’s party and the tweet quickly went viral. As of now, it has about 1,800 comments and 30,000 re-tweets.
While many people were heartbroken by the image, Etta enjoyed her cake and party all the same.
In fact, she got to eat cake for the rest of the week since there were no kids to share with. Cake is always a silver lining, isn’t it?
Many people admired the fact that little Etta was so unbothered by the low attendance.
This is another example of kids having life figured out a lot better than us adults.
“No one showed up? That’s cool. More cake for me!”
And not a single tear shed. That’s how it’s done folks.
And one little boy did end up making it to the party after all.
This kid and his mom are the real MVPs of the party. Seriously, you guys rock.
Plus, there were a gang of people on Twitter who were now all asking for an invite.
Twitter can be so great in times like these. It’s amazing how many people are coming together to give Etta the birthday that she should have had.
There was even a mini campaign to get Etta courtside birthday bash.
How cool would it be if the Green Bay Packers could come and throw Etta a special birthday party?
Plus, how adorable is she in that Packers jersey?!
If you’re wondering why the other parents didn’t just RSVP, apparently they did, but then cancelled last minute.
I get it. Things do come up, but if you made a commitment to go, you should stick to it outside of legitimate illnesses or emergencies.
While many people were moved by the photos of the empty party, it also sparked an interesting debate about children’s birthday parties in this day and age.
One Twitter user pointed out that it can be hard to throw parties for kids this young outside of a family party. It gets easier when they are in grade school.
Other parents shared their experiences with similar situations.
This is breaking my heart! Is there no such thing as party etiquette anymore? RSVP if you’re invited and go if you say you’ll go!
One person even suggested a way to send the other parents a message.
Twitter user @itscottmichael found the snub to be a high enough offense to warrant the parents getting petty thank you cards.
However, some parents on social media outlined their reasons for not going to parties anymore.
Buying gifts can be expensive, and yes, there usually is an element of socializing with other parents. Do you think these reasons are legit enough?
Other parents said they only go to parties when they actually know the kid.
Again, I understand this point of view, but I think parents invite the whole class so that no one feels left out. I’m not sure about this one. It can be a hard decision to make for sure.
And of course, saying no is a legitimate response.
Life can be busy and of course, it’s unrealistic to say yes to every party your kid gets invited to. I think the issue here is not about saying no, but about giving the hosting parent a head’s up when these emergencies do prevent you from attending.
So, what do you think?
Are kid’s birthday parties just too hectic to handle these days, or should parents make an effort to attend them? I feel like every invite deserves an RSVP, even if you can’t make it, just to help the host parent out.
