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!

Make arrangements to pick up your dd 15 minutes before the end and leave your 2 year old with her dad, sorted!!!

Then you will get to see all the second half (don't be a martyr and take the 2 year old, DP has to step up.)Bribery is the answer to getting child out early, and warn the party mum!

I think this thread is hilarious.

I don't watch football, but this mood is barely about football. It's about tribalism, in both the good and bad ways. Being with a group of people all wanting the same thing as you, and celebrating or commiserating together. On those levels I am enjoying the World Cup - I've probably read about it more than I've watched it!

The last time I remember the mood of the country being like this, and having something to say to any stranger I met was the Olympics. And for once, our players and coach are putting on a positive display as human beings.

My favourite part of the World Cup is my Dad - who is a rugby man, never played football, never watches or follows it, can just about name David Beckham - telling me about watching it in 66.

I also TOTALLY get the entitlement about men's sport - I want to make sure at my company that we follow through with matching entitlements for other people's interests (and we do). This isn't about that though. This is about something that millions of people will watch if England will get through, and it will be part of national discourse alongside Brexit, Trump etc. (And yes, if you're a half-decent historian writing about the Brexit process and national mood/sympathies, you would be an idiot not to consider the impact, good and bad. Why do you think the Nazis made such a fuss about putting on the Olympics?).

But pretending that this isn't something a highly significant proportion of people are interested in is just pettish bullshit. It is highly likely more people will watch this than voted in the EU referendum, and it would take more time out of their day. If you don't think that's useful to know or ponder, then you're lacking something.

*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.*

Someone responded for me - but it doesn't really prove your point to say 25 million isn't most. It's a significant amount. It's not a few men drinking beer in a cave.

The point is that there is also a significant number of people who don't care, don't like men's football, don't want to watch it and are fed up with having their lives disrupted by it. I would estimate that 40-60% of people really aren't interested. And the more this goes on, the more unsettling the bullshit becomes. It's OK not to like it, to want to avoid it or just get on with the stuff that you want to do. In a climate where the tabloids are keen to throw around phrases like The Will of The People and Traitors over Brexit - don't forget that nearly half the country voted against Brexit, another significant minority - I think it's fairly important to keep pointing out that not everyone is interested and that's OK.

If you don't have a clue MiddlingMum maybe you shouldn't repeat shit spouted by other people that don't have a clue..Your friend 'in the know' has a 50/50 chance of guessing right, unless you are saying he is involved in match rigging? Anyway I'm sure you'll be back to smugly gloat if he guesses right.

I feel really sorry for the mum of the party boy. Whether you are interested in football or not the fact is that unless she rearranges there is likely to be a alot of kids that don't turn up to that party. Not just because parents want to watch but the kids as well. And it has to be watched live not like an event such as the royal wedding which can be recorded and watched anytime. I'd be doing all I could to move the time or day of that party

One thing that I do think is totally unreasonable (and I speak as someone who follows football and used to play women's Sunday league, and even set my alarm clock for the early hours of the morning to watch some of the matches in the last women's world cup) is how many people are saying "but you knew when the matches were."

Erm, no, you didn't. We knew at the outset when the group stage matches were.

We didn't know England would get through the group stages (admittedly it would have been a disappointment to England fans if they hadn't, but it wasn't guararnteed, and Germany, the defending champions, got knocked out in the group stages).

Once they were through the group stages, no-one could have known up front where they'd finish in the group and thus which half of the last 16 onwards (hence when the matches were) they'd be in.

Before the tournament started, you'd have given odds of 100 to 1 on them reaching the final (they haven't yet, so let's not get carried away here).

Given all this, it would not be reasonable to get everyone to put their life on hold for the 10 days or so of the knockout stages on the off-chance that England made it this far. So the one thing that drives me mad is people saying to normal human beings (i.e. non-footie-obsessives) "oh but you knew when it was."

Having said that , if they do get to the final, it is a big deal - even for people who're only occasional football watchers. So I think you have to accept even if you hate football that this is just "one of those things" - a very unusual, once in 50 year event when people just get a bit obsessed about something for a fortnight or so, and if you've got an important event on, sadly it will take second place in most people's minds.

I still think France will win. (Scot, so no real skin in the game here.)

This thread is absolutely bonkers but the most bonkers bit of all is the “person in the know” saying England are definitely going to lose tomorrow. Unless they have created a time travel machine, they know bugger all!

Can't you talk to other class parents and arrange lifts. You pick up Tommy, Amelia and Zack drop them at the party. Amelia's mother who has no interest in football and will be glad to escape the constant requests for 'pass me another beer, love' picks them all up and drops them home. Tommy and Jack's parents can do the next party run.

I think it might be worth suggesting to the party mum something along the lines of what PP have said. There is a pretty good chance that several parents and many kids will not be bothered about the football (most kids would rather go to a party than watch television, especially if their parents tell them they can watch the match later.) and the parents will be willing to transport two or three kids around. Party mum could at least ring round and discuss it - because, of course, there are also likely to be some families where no one cares about the poxy men's football and whose DC would be really upset if the party was cancelled because of it.

It is obvious in this thread alone that @ReanimatedSGB has a problem of football in general, the shock horror statistic that it being male dominated is somehow grasping at straws is bing played as guilt by assocacaition.

If we ignore the fact that the other four nations are just as nationalistic, supportive of their teams then we have to do mental gymnastics as to why the english shouldn't support a team

I’m not sure how anyone can make the leap between the World Cup and Brexit but never mind.

I think for a lot of the country this is a very special moment and on this occasion missing a child’s party isn’t the end of the world.

I think for a lot of the country this is a very special moment and on this occasion missing a child’s party isn’t the end of the world.

It would be for the poor 6 year old boy, who's birthday party it is.

Just re-arrange it 1-3pm. Sorted.

The insistence that this men's football game is more important than anything else is reminiscent of the pro-Brexit obnoxiousness after the referendum.. Most of all in the repeated completely wrong assertion that EVERYONE agrees when roughly half the country don't agree at all.

And, yeah, there are going to be kids remembering, with bitterness, for a long time that something really important to them was wrecked by other people's desire to watch television, and that they were told to suck it up because they and their interests and their wishes didn't matter.

It would be for the poor 6 year old boy, who's birthday party it is.

So his parents should try everything they can to move it around. Even just an hour earlier.

compromise is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Poor kid. Can’t believe people are thinking of ducking his party at the last minute because of football. There are other things in life. Just pick the kids up at the appointed hour and catch the end of the game, if it’s so important.

especially as I'll most likely have to take my 2yo along for the ride so as not to disturb DH's enjoyment

I thought he wanted to share the moment with his family??

But it’s not to say that everyone will skip the party because of the World Cup, perhaps a few kids will be no shows and therefore not the end of the world.

My 3 year ds had his party on Saturday 1.30-3pm. It clashed with the start of the football . 3 people left early because if the football and 5 didn’t turn up . I felt sorry for my ds but I don’t think he really noticed.

I would recommend the mum changing the time of the party as people are selfish and I bet a good few won’t attend.

Why is it tosh to suggest he’d want his family to be together? Personally I’ve insisted that we all watch together if they get to the final as I wouldn’t want to miss the reaction of my 2 lads

That 6 year old will be well fucked off that his mum persisted with his crappy party when he could have been jumping up and down in front of the game.

People should just set the match to report and drive to the party with the radio switched off. Simple.

And you can have it on the radio in the car. It's really not a big deal. You don't get this football fan thing, do you? I was at an event today and had to listen to the other semi in the car. It wasn't the same at all.