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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Children weddings birthdays... Am I being precious?

175 replies

Mapley · 28/03/2011 18:14

We've been invited to close friend's (of my dp's) wedding on ds's second birthday and it's a no children invite. We rang the groom to say that we're sorry, we wouldn't be able to come as we wanted to spend ds's birthday with him, and he said to bring him then, we want you there.

I felt uncomfortable with this as I don't want other folk who have had to leave their kids at home to feel put out. And I don't want him to spend his birthday somewhere innaptopriate. I'd rather celebrate it with him. But equally I do not want to upset my friends.

The wedding's couple of hours away, but not impossible to go along in the evening. So we thought about it and said we'd just come along in the evening. Since then though the bride to be has texted my dp to say that her dp is upset and can we reconsider? She wants us to do something with our dp in the morning and come along for the meal at 4pm.

So now my dp wants me to spend the morning with my ds, drop him off at babysitter's after lunch and go to the meal onwards. He says he thinks I'm being selfish, that ds won't care about his birthday and that our friends will only get married once. The thought of leaving my boy without us in his birthday makes me sad, I don't want to do it. But dp says that I'm thinking about myself rather than our friends or him, and he personally wants to do both and go for half the day.

I feel really sad now. I don't want to upset dp, or our friends, but am I being precious by not wanting to be apart from ds on his birthday. I've offered a compromise that dp should go on his own if that's what he wants to do, but he's still fed up. I was trying to think positive, and even though dp wouldn't be there I was thinking of doing a birthday tea for ds with friends, but dp says he wouldn't want me to do that without him there.

Not sure what to do now!

OP posts:
amidaiwish · 28/03/2011 19:21

you really have to go to the wedding at 4pm, that is a good compromise. If you don't you are letting down your dp imo. They are good friends of his, your ds is 2, you will still have most of the day with him, by lunchtime he'll probably have had enough of the celebrations anyway and you'll be at home with him regretting not going.

you don't have to move the day, it's not like you'll be away for the whole day just a few hours late afternoon and then he'll be in bed. have the tea party another day, or are you not bothered if your dp is there for that?!

Mapley · 28/03/2011 19:22

Sort my head not dirt my head! Damn you auto correct!

And thank you for the sympathy. Yes, you've hit the nail on the head. It's not just ds's birthday, but it's the anniversary of us having a baby. That's a bug deal to me. If that makes me weird, precious and selfish thI'mthat why I'm sad.

OP posts:
HappyMummyOfOne · 28/03/2011 19:23

I'd do both, celebrate in the morning and go to the wedding. Pre school birthday celebrations are for the parents really not the child. I doubt most people remember much from being 1, 2 or even 3.

PoisoningPigeonsInThePark · 28/03/2011 19:25

You need to talk to your DP and say how strongly you feel - that you would be sad and not really enjoy the event.

seeker · 28/03/2011 19:28

But as her dp wants to go to the edding, what if he's sad and doesn;t enjoy the birthday?

I suppose you could ask them to move the wedding.......

breadandhoney · 28/03/2011 19:28

You have my sympathy! DH and I have just declined an invitation to his cousin's wedding as DD who is 8 months wasn't invited. It would've meant a night away from her for the first time and I just don't feel ready yet. I felt bad as all of DH's family, including DH, really wanted us to go and kept suggesting different ways that we could do it but all of them meant leaving DD, or - get this! - calling DH's cousin and asking if DD could come too!! (MIL's idea) Like you, i did not want her to be the only child there and for others to wonder why theirs wasn't allowed!

YANBU to want to spend your DS's second birthday with him. You cannot celebrate a birthday the next day, even if he doesn't know the difference. YOU know. You should be able to celebrate with him, without having to rush through it in the morning while getting ready and then rushing off to the wedding.

Hope your DP can understand your feelings. It is different for men. Again, you have my sympathy!

seeker · 28/03/2011 19:29

Oh, of course you can celebrate a birthday the next day! After the first 4 you will usually have to!

saffy85 · 28/03/2011 19:30

I think you are being a little unreasonable as he is so young he wont even know it's his birthday, whatever day you celebrate it on.

My DD's 2nd birthday concided with my mum's graduation ceromony so the birthday celebrations were moved to the next day which ofcourse DD wasn't even aware of and actually worked out very well as the weather for our trip to the zoo was much better on the "pretend" birthday Smile

habbibu · 28/03/2011 19:30

I've never quite understood how it's so critical to have particular friends at a wedding - sure, it's nice, but often you hardly get to talk to most people for more than 5 mins anyway. DH has been to weddings of his friends without me before, for various not particularly huge reasons - no-one appears to have felt it a disaster that I wasn't there. And I'm a perfectly nice guest!

skybluepearl · 28/03/2011 19:32

just do his main birthday celebrations on another day and have a mini celebration on the morning of the wedding.

PoisoningPigeonsInThePark · 28/03/2011 19:39

Guess I am lucky seeker - DH is capable of attending weddings and enjoying them by himself and seems to want me happy so if I talk to him about how I feel he tries to find compromised we are both happy with. None of our friends have not been mortally offended by our choices not to both attend all their weddings.

We made the most of the DC birthdays before they started school - neither of us regret that even though now the big celebration is nearest weekend. Obviously that is just us and other feel differently.

caughtinanet · 28/03/2011 19:44

I must be totally hard hearted but I wouldn't think twice about missing a 2 year old's birthday and even now if there was something important on one of my DCs' birthdays I'd probably do it anyway ime the actual day isn't really important to children and they are pretty easy going about when the celebrations are.

Maybe my children are in a minority but tbh you do sound a bit precious about it.

habbibu · 28/03/2011 19:46

But it is not a bit precious of the bride and groom to be so insistent people attend? Someone didn't come to ours because her cat was due to give birth. I really didn't have a problem with that.

PoisoningPigeonsInThePark · 28/03/2011 19:48

I was think that habbibu - none of our friends have very been so insistent perhaps I should get offended by their lack of perseverance.Hmm.

habbibu · 28/03/2011 19:49

Yes, maybe we're just not very popular!

Skinit · 28/03/2011 19:50

No matter what anyone says you wont be persueded will you? That much is obvious. Do what you want.

breadandhoney · 28/03/2011 19:52

lol at the cat giving birth! and i agree habbibu. the friends are putting them in an awkward position.

zukiecat · 28/03/2011 19:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

seeker · 28/03/2011 20:01

I am as soppy as the next woman - dp and I actually set the alarm every year for the time they were born so we can have a cuddle. But I would not hesitate to move a 2 year old's actual celebration to the next day so that i could go to a friend's wedding.

nailak · 28/03/2011 20:02

i had somewhere to o on my 4yr old dds bday so i jst pretended to her it was the day before, she doesnt know the diff tbh and enjoyed it just as much,

SE13Mummy · 28/03/2011 20:21

I think I'd be inclined to begin a 2-year-old's birthday celebrations the day before (possibly the anniversary of going into labour?), enjoy a lovely birthday breakfast with him and then, whilst at the wedding he can have a fantastic birthday with doting grandparents. Come Sunday, you can have celebration three of his birthday!

DD1's birthday seems to go on for ever. When she was younger i.e. before starting school we actively encouraged it; a birthday lunch here, a birthday tea there, a playdate with pass the parcel to birthdayify it. She's 6 now and we still do much the same - it's a birthday season for her.

DD2's 1st birthday was celebrated before her actual birthday and we had a simple birthday picnic (identifying feature was the cake) on her actual birthday. Her 2nd birthday will be celebrated when those we'd like to celebrate it with are available... that may or may not be on the day itself.

redstripeyelephant · 28/03/2011 20:23

To be honest I think the bride and groom are being a bit unfair by hassling you to go - you have already said you'll go in the evening and I think that's fair enough. How much time are they actually going to spend with you/DP at the wedding anyway? It's not like he's the best man! Everyone knows at weddings the bride and groom barely get to speak to anyone for longer than a few minutes.

If friends of ours had replied to a wedding invitation by saying they could only come for the evening do I would have just accepted it - it's your decision after all.

I completely understand where you are coming from and would hate to miss my DD's birthdays. Having said that, in order to keep the peace I would probably do what has been suggested and just spend the morning with him, especially if there are grandparents nearby he can spend the afternoon with and who will make a fuss of him.

unfitmother · 28/03/2011 20:26

He's 2 FGS, he doesn't know when his birthday is this is all about you OP.
Sounds like you don't want to go. Hmm

moulesvinrouge · 28/03/2011 20:31

habbibu I think it is horses for courses - some friends I wouldn't be too upset if they had missed my wedding, but as I only have two living family members and treat my close friends as my family, I'd be quite upset if they couldn't compromise a little for a once in a lifetime event which was equally important to me as their child's (one of many) birthday was to them. Friendship is a bit of give and take after all and not just about only doing what fits in with your plans.

OP - don't go to the wedding - as you've said you'll be doing it with a heavy heart which is no fun for you or your DP, let him go and have a great time and have a second birthday the next day with him as well. But do be prepared for the Bride and Groom to raise eyebrows about you, especially when they have tried to be so accommodating. They obviously really want you there but if you won't compromise there is little they can do about it. Have a good birthday!

dolldaggabuzzbuzz · 28/03/2011 20:33

YABU. I had to go to WORK on my boy's 2nd birthday! We celebrated proper at the weekend!

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