AIBU - World Cup final and 6yo Birthday party

[Viktorella]

A boy in DD1's class is having a whole class party this Sunday (3pm-5pm)

Given that there's now some chance of England making it to the final, I assumed that the parents would be factoring that in to their planning at this stage (I know I would be if it was my daughter's party)...maybe moving the time of the party or having a big screen to show football at party.

I casually asked the boy's mum about it yesterday and it clearly hadn't entered her mind. She huffily responded "Well I can hardly cancel the party!"

AIBU to think that, if she doesn't consider it, she might end up with a lot of kids not attending? I wouldn't want my daughter to go (although would probably still take her out of guilt) and I'm far from being a football fan!

For me it a case that if we win then it will be a question of “where were you when?”. I know all of my family (even the Irish ones) can tell you not only where they were but who they were with in 1966. Even my hating football DD wants to go to a fanzone if we make it to the final.

We've got a party that's been rearranged to be earlier due to the final. The birthday child will want to watch it anyway as will most of the children invited, whether England is playing or not.

Before we knew if the party could be shifted, I had been asked if we'd still go, and I intended to honour my original acceptance. It is nicer that England playing or not, the clash has been avoided.

Final or not, this is the best we have performed in a generation, and as a non-football fan, I can appreciate that this is the best quality, skilled football that the England team have played since at least the 90s which was the last time I could summon up any enthusiasm to sit through a whole match. I've never known DH sit through more than two minutes of football before let alone whole matches and cheering goals (not English either).

The assertions that 6 year olds aren't interested amuses me. Most of the y2 boys at our school play in football teams. The school club is filled with yRs, pleasingly girls as well as boys. I'd put DS (7) in for lessons in the understanding that it's a general cultural advantage for a British boy to have some understanding of football, and his attention to following the England matches had been a pleasant surprise.

Sometimes the balance of replies on MN seem to be out of touch with the reality of life offline.

I feel sorry for the child, but realistically if England make the final lots of people won't turn up and even if they don't qualify I think they'll struggle for numbers.

Most Lots of people will be at friend/family gatherings, even if you're not watching the football most won't want to miss it. Especially when you put alcohol into the mix and not wanting to drive.

Bad planning.

Bad planning

Agree, who are these ridiculous parents who didn't think about the day they conceive the child and the day they would be born, that would end up clashing with some football match a few years down the line. Utterly selfish. They could at least organise a birthday party another month to make it more convenient to their friends.

Of cause you should organise parties for days/ times that are convenient for the people you want to attend.

If you're so sure it won't be an issue, then why all the hostility? Ctrl

Oh come on Ctrl it's not about convenience this is an actual 'once in a lifetime' thing. Schools have changed their end if year shows so as not to clash tomorrow, Lidl and Aldi are going to be shutting early, the parents could have started thinking about moving the party earlier or changing it. It's not fair to expect people to miss the World Cup Final for your child's party.

*I do have it on good authority that Croatia are going to win tomorrow though.

I do have it on good authority that you are making that up though.*

Certainly not making it up. This was from someone who seems to know what he's talking about. Unlike me, I don't have a clue.

Why do you have to stay for the party? In my day we were turfed out on the door step and picked up a few hours later

Of cause you should organise parties for days/ times that are convenient for the people you want to attend.
and when would that be? not during the week, because people are at work, not the following weekend because many people are off to their summer holiday destination

It's not fair to expect people to miss the World Cup Final for your child's party. you do realise how pathetic you sound? If you don't want your child to attend, just don't bring him. You are just rude if you have already accepted, you could have just declined in the first place.

The idea is that before you send your RSVP, you check your calendar and schedule, and make up your mind on what you want to do. You don't wait until the last second to decide if you have a better offer after all.

I was at a party last weekend, and I have one next weekend. NONE of the kids were interested in the football and the tv was on in a completely empty room whilst they were playing outside.

It's not really bad planning, as even many keen football fans wouldn't have expected it to get this far. More like bad luck (for her anyway).

If I'd planned another party on my birthday this Sunday, I would probably have cancelled it, as I wouldn't want to make anyone have to choose between hurting me and missing a pretty unusual event.

Anyone contemplating letting down a 6uearold on their birthday to watch men chasing round afield after a ball really needs to reassess their priorities. There’s often things that conflict with kids parties, work opportunities, homework, family stuff, it being above day and thinking it would be lovely to have a day trip, but you take your kid to the party because firstly you don’t let down a child and secondly you teach your kid to keep to commitments even when a more appealing offer comes up.

How many 6 y.o. are going to interested in the footie?!

My 7 year old has been football mad since he was 3...not that unusual if surrounded by a football mad family ie me and his nan....the males in our family aren't fussed.

Certainly not making it up. This was from someone who seems to know what he's talking about

Oh, so the match is going to be fixed then is it?

you do realise how pathetic you sound? If you don't want your child to attend, just don't bring him. You are just rude if you have already accepted, you could have just declined in the first place.

The idea is that before you send your RSVP, you check your calendar and schedule, and make up your mind on what you want to do. You don't wait until the last second to decide if you have a better offer after all.

Oh get a grip. Most people send out invitations a few weeks in advance. No one foresaw this would happen with the football. There was hardly any hype around the World Cup this year because everyone just thought England would get knocked out fairly early as they usually do, so people probably didn't even check to see if it would clash with the world cup final before accepting. I wouldn't have.

I get you are not interested in football and normally I am with you about just not turning up to parties when you have already accepted. But this is exceptional, unforseen circumstances.

Yes I agree it's not bad planning on the parents part, it's bad luck.

I'm another who's getting very tired of the frequent references from one or two posters to "the men's World Cup"

It was just the one poster to be fair. I think the others have been piss taking.

You realise that 25 million people isn't most of the population?

That figure doesn’t include the millions watching in bars or public big screens. They’d also be plenty of NHS and emergency services staff that would’ve had to work who would have been desperate to follow the score.

Overall, I’d estimate that well over 30 million people were following the men’s football on Saturday.

Spiteful I hear Russia is going to make an unexpected comeback :D

IF England get through, and it’s a big IF, there will be a lot of parties on saturday which are quite a bit quieter than they should be.

Totally understandably imo, although it’s very unfortunate for those involved.

Certainly not making it up. This was from someone who seems to know what he's talking about. Unlike me, I don't have a clue.

You were mansplained by the sounds of it.

"Anyone contemplating letting down a 6uearold on their birthday to watch men chasing round afield after a ball really needs to reassess their priorities."

Such breathtaking ignorance on what is happening in the country at the moment. Unbelievable.

I'm no royalist, but on the day of a royal wedding I wouldn't be arrogantly pontificating about "all the fuss over two people I don't know dressing up and saying words to each other" .

I would hope to have the basic intelligence to understand that it is an important national event that a large number of people are interested in .

For me it a case that if we win then it will be a question of “where were you when?”. I know all of my family (even the Irish ones) can tell you not only where they were but who they were with in 1966.

But this isn't necessarily the same for people who aren't interested in football. My mum was a teenager in 1966 yet has no recollection of it whatsoever. However she can clearly remember JFK 3 years beforehand. It's really not that important to everybody.

Yes I agree it's not bad planning on the parents part, it's bad luck.

Definitely. If I’d been planning any sort of event for the 15th July, I’d have probably noticed that it was the same day as the men’s World Cup Final. If I’d so much as made contingency plans for the possibility that England might have been in the final, anyone with even the tiniest knowledge of men’s football will have laughed at me.

The unexpected nature of England’s success (even if we do lose tomorrow) has been why it’s so exciting.

Does it not occur to you that the main reason people refer to men's football and express irritation at the selfishness and entitlement of those who like it is because we are sick to fucking death of being told that we don't matter, our plans don't matter, and we should just suck up having events ruined (quite often costing us money) because other people want to watch men chase balls round fields.

I really can't think of any other leisure activity that carries this level of entitlement and pushy conformism, where people who have no interest in it are expected to rearrange everything so others can watch television.

I was starting to wonder if I should use the term "men's football" because I believe in women's equality, but if it's just to express irritation maybe I won't.

I get you are not interested in football and normally I am with you about just not turning up to parties when you have already accepted. But this is exceptional, unforseen circumstances.

the thing is, I AM interested in football! A football match still doesn't qualify as unforeseen circumstances unless your dad is playing in it.
I would feel really shitty to spoil a 6 yo birthday party because of football. It's the end of the school year, most of their friends will already have their party, they must have been looking forward to it for ages, it's a big thing at that age.

I would be marginally annoyed to miss half the match because I am ferrying my kids around,but it wouldn't even have occur to me to cancel. I would have quite like to watch Wimbledon too. If my son ends up in one of the match, I would drop everything to cheer him on. Until then, I have a life and as they have 0 interest in football and can't hold a tennis racket, we are pretty safe on that front-