To be annoyed play centre held a party at the same time as open session?

As parents we have to teach our children how to deal with these little disappointments so they learn the skills to cope with bigger disappointments that come later in life. Our children's lives are not going to be all flowers and unicorns and learning to manage this has to start young and small. My Mum's favourite saying was life isn't fair and she is so true you have to learn to deal with it.
Lack of resilience is a huge issue, I am interviewing for a university degree and as part of the interviews we specifically look at resilience.
So proud of my DD last night she was talking about some choices she had made that had my life a bit tougher and her attitude was they were my choices I have to get on and my make best of them now. She is 20 a student made some financial choices that mean she needs to do extra work, but her resilience means she is cracking on and sort it out. This all starts with managing tiny disappointments as a toddler and preschooler.

These occasions are an opportunity to just explain to children - it’s someone else’s birthday that you don’t know. When it comes to their birthday they will have a party that these strangers won’t be invited to.
And then move on.
It would have been more annoying to arrive and see a sign ‘closed for a private party’..

I suspect that some people have voted YABU whilst imagining that it's a large soft play where this is more normal and accepted. People don't always read everything before they vote.

I don't understand these weird responses. OP YANBU. The venue is too small to host a large party and a public session so they should have closed it to the public or at least made it clear when booking that there is a party so that you can make an informed decision.

We have two soft plays nearby which have capacity for 30 children. When there's a party it's closed to the public and the party prices reflect this. We've been to many parties there and as a party goer, it would have been awkward to be sitting playing games and eating party food 2m away from other children.

It's fine when it's a large soft play with separate party rooms, but that's not OP's set up.

With respect that's not going to line up with the potential ,£4k a week your way

Businesses have to get money in to stay in business.

You can't expect the wider world to be available to entertain your children. You need to meet up with your friends if you want to have companionship.

There were some other children there, your children played with them.

Then it was time for the other children to go and have something to eat.

Expecting a business to close to the public in case some children may be upset when they aren't invited to the party of a stranger is unreasonable.

They all do this? Children need to know they can't have everything.

Of course she wants her money's worth - these places are bloomin' expensive!

And I can see where the OP is coming from - if her kids were practically the only ones not attending the party and the party kids were essentially taking over the place in terms of noise/atmosphere, then personally I'd feel a bit like we were gatecrashing and paying for the pleasure.

Other people's kids aren't there to entertain yours, you should do that.

OP knows whether she wanted to join the party or not. And if you lot are wrong, then you're wrong, no matter how many of you there are! So, why would she do as you say?

This is one of those threads...

OP: Am I being unreasonable?

Everyone: Yes, you are being unreasonable.

OP: I'm not being unreasonable and I'm going to repeatedly tell you I'm right you're wrong - so there.

Op, look, 93 percent of people disagree with you. Just hide the thread and move on, arguing and doubling down on it. Isn’t going to change it.

you think they should have shut the centre, I and many others think you wanted to join in the party. You decided to stay and get your kids upset so you could get your moneys worth. And blame the centre. Nearly everyone disagrees.

id honestly just move on.

Another post just triggered a memory for me is clearly locked away, back from when I was a newer mum

My daughter has autism, when she was 3 she started preschool. One weekend we went to a soft play, quite small, and there was a birthday party with pretty much every other child in the class there. Fortunately, being autistic and three she didn’t know but I remember my cheeks burning. I couldn’t just leave, she’d have a meltdown. So I sat there about 4 chairs away for a fucking awkward hour. I REALLY learned some lessons about toughening up and making decisions about how I’d choose to parent.

My next children were the super popular type, and friends with siblings but I’ve never mixed since with those mums

Sorry, that is a tangent- but that memory just slapped me in the face

It is neither possible nor desirable to shield your children from the knowledge that not everything that happens in this world needs to include them.

But this place isn’t closed to the general public at weekends so clearly, a party is always going to be a possibility as weekends are popular for parties.

Plenty of people also wouldn’t be bothered about it and would be encouraging their children to take advantage of having the role play stuff largely to themselves.

Presumably because she had paid for the session?

I agree OP - it's a bit crap for your kids. But easily avoided in future. Just ask if there's a party on before booking.

They might lose money in other ways though. When it happened with us, I didn't go back to that play cafe as didn't want yo risk it happening again. The other play cafes / play sessions we go to wouldn't do that sort of thing - they close to the general public at weekends so that people can hire the spaces for parties. Prior to that we used to go once or twice a fortnight and buy lunch and drinks. Another family there who were "left out", were also fairly disgruntled, and I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't return either.

I'd be cross that the soft play didn't let you know when you arrived so you could make an informed choice before spending £30. My daughter would love for all the kids to disappear so it wouldn't be a problem for her and we would buy a ticket. My son however loves making new friends so this wouldn't work well for him if I thought we might be one of only a few kids there. I'd like to know so we could go elsewhere with him.

Not saying the soft play shouldn't mix parties and public, I totally understand that they have overheads but I think it would be more transparent to at least have a sign up at the entrance before you pay.

Some kids would love it if they had the run of the place and not have to wait their turn for everything, focus on what they gained instead of what they lost! You didn't go expecting them to play party games, you went expecting them to play with the role play equipment. Which was still there and probably more of it was available for your DC to play with. Why was that suddenly not fun if that's what you went for? There were 3 kids and presumably at least 2 adults (you and whoever was there with the other kid), you weren't sending one child off to occupy themselves with nothing to play with.

But the party didn't affect the activity available for the op's children. The equipment was still available to play with.

Had the party meant that part of the venue was off limits then I would agree with you, but it didnt. They had everything available to them whilst the party was going on

Soft play centres ALWAYS have parties going on.
Open session means open session, even to parties.
YABVU.

Had the venue not accepted other bookings though it would either have to only have parties for 30 kids, which is a lot and may put people off booking a party or committ to loosing out on £75 worth of potential customers (assuming its £15 per kid and the party was for 25 kids and the venue holding 30)

Also, just cos your kid was bothered, doesnt mean others would be. Some would love the opportunity to play themselves, with their sibling or parent without other kids.

I think yabu

Ffs I’m sure your kids will survive. Yabu

Inviting the whole class would be fine. Inviting less than half of the class would also be fine (assuming you're not inviting, say, all of the girls except one or two).

But inviting 25 children out of 28 would be poor form.