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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:
habbibu · 30/03/2011 10:18

Well, maybe I'm being radical here, but is it possible that no-one is, in fact, being ridiculous, and that it's perfectly alright for people to have different priorities?

Perhaps AIBU isn't the place for me?

seeker · 30/03/2011 11:29

Usually I would agree with you habbibu - but sometimes ridiculous is the only word to describe something!

mummytime · 30/03/2011 13:31

I'd just like to add, I have had my kids sleep through weddings before now. The best thing for them if they are likely to be fidgety. My 7 year old slept through most of the meal at her cousins wedding last year.

Sweetpea215 · 30/03/2011 13:37

I'm surprised at some of the responses here...

I don't think you are being unreasonable at all in wanting to make your son's birthday special and to be with him on his special day.
I think most people would.

I'm amazed at the comments that say...switch the birthday to another day, he won't know.

Sweetpea215 · 30/03/2011 13:41

and I don't think there's ANYTHING selfish in what you are doing...

You love your boy...you want to make his birthday special......I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to do that ON his birthday.

fifitrixibell · 30/03/2011 13:51

I have not read the whole thread as I am supposed to cooking at the moment, not on MN!

Is your DS your only child so far? If so I can understand that you don't want to leave him, but sometimes life gets in the way. My DCs frequently have several birthdays in one year, because they are at school, DH is at work, grandparents are elsewhere etc etc. They love it because it means they get 2 or 3 birthday cakes!! we just celebrate when and as many times as we can Grin.

I think it has been suggested before - have a little party over lunch time on the Saturday, with all the important people there. Find someone he loves to look after him from 4pm so you and your DP can go to the wedding together. Your DS will love being lavished with attention by an exciting grandparent, aunty or friend. Then on Sunday go out for the day as a family, as a special birthday treat.

I hope you find a solution that works for all of you.

seeker · 30/03/2011 13:52

Honestly, how would you feel if a good friend wouldn't come to your wedding because it was on a 2 year old's birthday? Honestly?

elphabadefiesgravity · 30/03/2011 13:57

How would I feel seeker? I probably wouldn't even notice unless it was my bridesmaid. I would not miss a siblings wedding for a child's birthday but all other weddings, be they friends, cousins, etc etc my attendance depends on my other commitments.

My immediate family comes before friends in ANYTHING and everything. By immediate family I mean dh, the children, my parents, my in laws and dh's sister. I guess I would also count my brother's and dh's sister's children in that too.

When I got married I sent out the invitations and people either came or they didn't. I do think it used to be easier in the "old days" when replies were sent formally by reply card or letter to the bride's parents.

seeker · 30/03/2011 14:13

"My immediate family comes before friends in ANYTHING and everything." Wow - what a sweeping and insular statement!

habbibu · 30/03/2011 14:14

Don't people just say "sorry, can't make it, have a lovely day"? I genuinely wouldn't have felt that bad, tbh - dh turned up, everyone else was lovely, but extra, iyswim? That said, I wouldn't have had a child-free wedding, so I don't the issue would have arisen - hard to really imagine the situation in my case.

habbibu · 30/03/2011 14:17

And in fairness, I don't think Mapley is the good friend, iyswim - seems like they are mostly her dp's friends. I don't generally put family above friends - for a start, we live way too far from family for that to be practical! - but I just don't reckon that my plans - even my wedding - are so earth-shattering that anybody need do more than decide whether they feel like it or not; I'd hate for anyone to come to anything out of duty or anything more than they genuinely wanted to.

habbibu · 30/03/2011 14:18

And now I sound like I'm slagging off anyone who would be bothered! I'm not, but I guess I'm just quite lax about these things, and want social events to be as laid back as possible.

seeker · 30/03/2011 14:19

Bridezilla v. Mummyzilla - there's an epic struggle!

ChaoticAngelofDenial · 30/03/2011 14:30

"Don't people just say "sorry, can't make it, have a lovely day"? I genuinely wouldn't have felt that bad, tbh - dh turned up, everyone else was lovely, but extra, iyswim?"

Totally agree with that :)

Weddings are not always a once in a lifetime event either.

NestaFiesta · 30/03/2011 14:48

I totally agree with you elpha and habbibu. I don't think it's at all unusual to put family before friends when push comes to shove. In fact I feel it's right.

elphabadefiesgravity · 30/03/2011 14:55

Insular, why? I put my family first before friends. Friends are fickle, family are always there no matter what when the chips are down.

seeker · 30/03/2011 14:56

I know I'm going on, bt I am genuinely baffled.

Are you all really saying that you would not go to your best friend's wedding because it was your 2 year old's birthday? Or if it was your dp's best friend, you would tell him to go alone while you stayed at home celebrating said birthday?

What about - oh, I don't know, your friend's mother's funeral? A friend's debu at the Royal Opera house?

seeker · 30/03/2011 14:58

debut, obviously.

Hmm, elpha - you obviously haven't got either my friends or my family!

And (sorry about this) I suspect you are much younger than me.

ChaoticAngelofDenial · 30/03/2011 15:09

I'm not saying I would never go but it wouldn't bother me if someone else did prioritise their child's birthday over my wedding. So long as the groom turned up and there were the two obligatory witnesses there that's what's really important. I might be a bit miffed for all of, oh, two seconds then I'd get over myself Grin

I do realise that other people have different priorities.

Mapley · 30/03/2011 15:29

Seeker, personally I think you're being a bit ridiculous now. Are you actually saying that you genuinely can't see why anyone would have different priorities and emotions to you? That's so arrogant and insular! I don't feel the same way as you about birthdays and weddings, but I'm not baffled and constantly going on at you for being wrong. Have a word with yourself lady.

And no they aren't close friends of mine, but they are lovely and they might become close friends in the future if I get to know them more. The mean alot to dp so I don't want to upset or disrespect him. I won't lie, if it was just me to think about I'd spend all day with ds and just do birthday stuff, but as it us atleast I don't have to be apart from him!

OP posts:
Mapley · 30/03/2011 15:33

Habibbu, spot on posts lady! We're on the same page! Glad I'm not completely doolally!

OP posts:
NestaFiesta · 30/03/2011 15:36

Well said Mapley.

habbibu · 30/03/2011 15:39

Well, in fairness, Mapley, I'm also a bit lax about birthdays! I come from a very forgetful family, it has to be said. Seeker, in general if it's a childfree wedding it's hard for us both to attend - ds is completely unleaveable sleepwise atm (long story) and family for each of us is hundreds of miles away, so it's never really an issue I've had to consider. If it was a wedding I really wanted to go to, I'd find some sort of birthday compromise - I suspect (honest emoticon) if I didn't want to go, I might well use the b'day in my head as an excuse - don't think I'd tell the B&G that, mind - just use the prior engagement card.

So what I'm saying is that in essence I will avoid weddings if i don't feel like going. that's got to make me worse than mapley, eh?

habbibu · 30/03/2011 15:40

I am quite anti-social, mind, and DH quite resigned used to going to things without me!

elphabadefiesgravity · 30/03/2011 18:02

Well we only went to dh's best friend's wedding as children were invited. We couldn't have gone otherwise (at the other end of the country) with a breastfed baby and 2 year old. Dh was best man.

I did arrange my pregnancy around the wedding so as not to risk being about to give bith at the time of the wedding!

And I havn't really got a best friend so not an issue for me.

But the OP is about a friend, not a best friend and for mea birthday in my immediate family would come first.

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