Do your friends acknowledge your Children's birthdays?

[Thewayshetalks]

General question, more so relating to your close friends, do they acknowledge your childrens birthdays? Not so much gifts but maybe a card, a call/text to pass on a birthday message, a visit on the day sort of thing

@PurpleDaisies

I’m guessing you’re pissed off someone hasn’t acknowledged your child’s birthday?

Nobody has pissed me off, it was something people who I work with was discussing yesterday, it isn’t something that would bother me personally

Closest friends, yes card/gift/message but not normally a visit. Other friends it's a message but not card/gift unless there's a party.

Buying for 6 children aged between 10 and late 20s

We do but it's a text to the group what's app saying wish x a happy birthday. Or mabey a video of one of toddlers singing happy birthday.
I think the only reason we remeber is one of my friends makes us a photo calander every year for Christmas with all the birthdays ( the girls, the husbands / partners and kids) so that's generally the prompt.

God, no, and I think it’s completely mad when I see posters wringing their hands on here about their friends not acknowledging little Jack’s first birthday.

No - too many kids to keep track! I don’t acknowledge unless I see on SM that it was someone’s birthday, same goes for my friends with my children.

Yes

But I’m hopeless at remembering their Childrens’!

We used to but it got out of hand. So now we just give presents if there is a party we are invited to. Otherwise it's a text. Suspect we will do big birthdays when they get to 18/21

Sometimes they do, other years they don't. I'm not bothered either way. Will give gifts if attending a party. We all gave gifts on birth of each others first baby and haven't for subsequent birthdays or children unless attending a celebration.

In general, no. I have one friend who sends my kids presents every year - I think this is because we asked her to be the children's trustee in the case of us both passing away and she has sort of adopted the godparent role as we aren't religious so they don't have actual godparents.

I will admit to having been a bit hurt that my BILs and SIL have never remembered my DS2's birthday but I would never expect or want my friends to

Not usually and I wouldn't want them to. One of my closest friends had her DC long before I did and quite honestly it didn't occur to me to remember their birthdays - obviously I sent congratulations card at the time. Then when I had my DC my DF started sending him small gifts and cards so I felt obliged to return the gesture, it slightly miffed me as she was my DF, not the DC. So I never got into the habit of doing it with any other DFs. I don't do FB so have no idea when birthdays are.

Fortunately they are all over 18 now so the habit has stopped .

No, family only. It just gets silly otherwise.

I have spent over 30 years & many £000s on friends' kids birthdays & Xmas over the years, & not forgetting the postage coz most of them are not local. Even sent a monthly direct debit for one child until she was 18! Lord knows what I'll do when the kids start having kids of their own 🤣 To be honest, I thought it was totally normal, given that friends are the most important people in our lives. Fortunately I am child-free, so saved money there!

What age?

Not really, no. Only my DC’s sort of godparent. Or friends who have known Dc since birth or Reception because they were NCT / school friends and where our respective children are still good friends. We acknowledge milestone birthdays, but these kids are now grown up and still round each other’s kitchen tables.

Yes, and I theirs. I have known them since they were babies, and see them regularly so we all do.

I never got cards from parents’ friends when growing up, it’s not really a thing is it?

This is probably just a side-effect of social media, because people remind everyone when birthdays are, and I doubt many kids are particularly arsed if they get these messages.

I think it’s weird that my husband’s aunt sends me a birthday present. If I had to start remembering all my friends’ children as well it would be never ending.

We have very close friends/godparents that do presents and visits on birthday. Most of our other friends it's a quick text or a message on Facebook. It doesn't bother me either way. When my best friends have their children I will do presents (but they are basically our family)

Yes I do. Just a quick message unless we are invited to a party.

I've got 16 nieces and nephews. I remember about 10 of my friend kids birthdays too.

I am lucky to have a good memory for birthdays!!

TheLead actually thinking about it now I did get presents from my DM's friends when I was growing up (& I am over 60 now ), she had a couple of very close friends, they shared a flat in the mid 1950s - and the two friends sent me gifts every birthday and Christmas for years. I think I was the first 'baby' in their circle.... my siblings didn't get presents when they arrived.

Incidentally the friends are all now in their late 80s and still good friends .

Yes. Mines get cards/gifts from close friends for birthday & Christmas. Theres about 8 of us altogether.

I think it depends.

For my friends who I've known before they had children, I would acknowledge, either via text or with a gift/card. But for people who already had kids when I met them, I don't even usually know when their kids' birthdays are.

As in 8 adults.

Some do. None of my friends without children do, even my very closest.

No, and I absolutely wouldn’t expect it!
I send cards to my friends on their birthdays, and vice versa, but I absolutely would not expect my kids birthdays to even be on their radar. I have six nieces and nephews, throw in the six children of my closest friends and the seven children of my three NCT friends and it would become ridiculous.

No, none of us do it since the first borns were 1 or 2. 12 kids among one group of 5 us. Just too many