When you’re a kid, birthday parties are considered to be the social highlights of the year. Regardless of how old you might be, everyone loves seeing friends and receiving presents.
But how would you feel if you looked around the room and saw nothing but strange faces staring back at you? That’s the debate that this mom sparked after she brought all five of her kids to a birthday party that only one was invited to.
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Whether you’re young in years or simply young at heart — everyone appreciates a good birthday party.
Birthday parties are a time for fun. It’s a day solely dedicated to eating cake and ice cream, and then on top of all that — you get presents!
While it is a time for celebration and cheer, there is a certain etiquette that comes with the territory.
For instance, you should never show up to anyone’s birthday party without a gift in hand.
And just like any other party, birthday or otherwise, you should never show up unannounced or worse yet — uninvited.
However, TikTok user and mother Jeena Wilder happens to think differently.
Jeena is a 32-year-old mother of five children, whose ages all range from 4-months to 9-years-old.
In a recent TikTok video, Jeena explained how she handles it when only one of her children is invited to a friend’s birthday party.
The video begins to play and the caption reads “POV when you invite one of my children to a birthday party.”
Jeena happily accepts the invitation extended towards her and begins to sway excitedly.
As she moves away from the camera, her children appear behind her — following their mother in a conga-line-like fashion.
“You invite one child, you get all of us,” Jeena stated.
As Jeena’s husband comes into view while holding their 4-month-old baby, a caption appears that reads,
“Don’t worry, we bring awesome gifts.” While that may or may not be true, Jeena’s presumptive mentality regarding birthday parties has some parents scratching their heads.
In a matter of only a few weeks, Jeena’s video has gone on to receive over 900K plays on TikTok.
Some people seemed to love the idea of inviting the whole family. “The more the merrier at our parties,” a fellow TikTok user wrote .
“You’re now invited to all of my birthday parties,” another remarked.
There were others, however, who didn’t share Jeena’s all-inclusive mentality.
“I would never do this, if someone only wants one of your kids at the party, you have to respect their decision,” TikTok user @sassysio234 said.
“Imagine being a single parent on a budget and this happens, id[sic] be so embarrassed and upset,” wrote @brookehollie_x.
In Jeena’s defense, she says that she always makes sure to clarify with the parents first.
“My husband works a lot and most days it’s just me and the kids,” Jeena wrote in the caption of her video .
“I always RSVP or ask the parents first.”
Jeena further clarified her point of view in a recent interview with Buzzfeed.
Jeena explained how dropping her kids off alone at a party makes her uncomfortable.
“So, my solution is: I always ask beforehand if I can bring siblings to the party and always pay for the ones that weren’t invited if the party is at an event place,” she said .
The 32-year-old mother of five also made sure to point out that her children’s safety is priority #1.
In a similar fashion, this is why Jeena and her husband won’t allow their children to sleep over at friends’ houses.
At least not while they’re still at such a young and impressionable age.
Jeena also mentions how growing up in a traditional Haitian family has imbued her with a strict sense of family.
In short: if you want to spend time with one of the Wilder bunch — you need to invite them all.
And while there are no doubt children out there who would be happy to receive an extra gift, if you ask me — this adds nothing but unnecessary stress and anxiety.
