to want to throw a birthday party for my nephew?

some parents just don't do parties for kids.
tbh I don't think it is a big deal.

We had a little girl at my dd2's 3rd birthday who has never had aparty (aged 4) because her mum has the whole cocktail party for adults thing instead. I think it's really sad, she had never played pass the parcel

What about inviting him round for tea near his birthday so he can have a birthday tea with your DS ? You can get him a little cake and sing happy birthday and do pass the parcel.

My DS is going to be 4 soon and would be said if he didn't have a party as he's been to a few recently and is looking forward to when he can have his own.

loads of people don't give parties until they start school

tbh the kid won't remember

I think you're being over-sentimental and stepping a little bit over the line

me, I like kids' parties more than grown-up ones .. but that's me

Twig has said exactly it.

It's not obligatory that kids have parties. You just have to trust your SIL as a parent, that if her ds was honestly breaking his heart to have a party, she would give him one. He's obviously not. He's three and he will not even remember this birthday and will certainly not care like maybe a ten year old would. His 'friends' at 3 aren't true friends in the way that mature friendships are, she's right - he will make more lasting friends at school and parties will mean more then.

It's a bit of a tyranny going on I think about kids parties now. It is quite possible that a child might HUGELY enjoy a party where all his loved adults were gathered and able to give him love, attention, and presents!

agree with Twig and HG, but if you think it would be ok with your SIL asking them round to yours for tea would be nice, you can make a cake and all sing happy birthday. But I would only do thins if I was pretty sure my SIL would be ok with it, I would not do it if I thought she would be at all offended.

ds never had a party until he was at school, tbh i never even considered it.

If you want to invite your nephew round for tea around his birthday, fine. But don't do a cake unless you have specifically cleared it with the mum first (or you will be treading on toes). I am in the "don't do parties" camp myself - I have done them for the dds between the ages of about 5 and 10 and will probably do so for ds and the db between the same ages - but younger and older than this, I really don't see the point.

My mother is giving me grief about what I am doing for ds's 2nd birthday in a week's time and whether I'm doing a cake, and it's doing my head in - am about to give birth fgs!! We aren't big on birthdays/celebrations in our (nuclear) family and I resent the intrusion and the implication that we are letting them down in some way.

exactly Miaou. It's the implied letting down of kids that gets my goat. There are other fantastic, magical things that can be done on young children's birthdays. Parties are just ONE WAY of celebrating!

I'd reserve your judgement happybirthday. On looking at my childhood; I never ONCE had a birthday party. My mum never ONCE arranged a playdate and she never made small talk with other mums or made friends with them because they were mums.

My childhood was idyllically happy.

I had magical, fantastic, imaginative days out on my birthdays. I made fantastic, close friends at school. When it mattered to me I arranged my own playdates! Once we got past toddler age I don't suppose my mum took us to parks, either; she let us get on with playing 'out'.

It was idyllic.

I wouldn't be so quick to judge other approaches when it comes to this sort of stuff really. What seems 'sad' to you is probably just a different approach.

i dont think he's missing out on anything. ds never had a party until school, never had any friends around to play (well we didnt know any). when i went to see my friend he would play with her kids, we always had him a little birthday with a cake and the family. he's had plenty of parties since. i dont think they really understand them anyway at that age. same with dd, we just have a couple of friends come to say hello with their kids and a few fairy cakes.

I never had a birthday party when I was a child. I never even had a special birthday, I only ever remember having one birthday cake in fact.

consequently I believe in having children's parties, because although as a child it didn't matter that much because that was just the way it was, when I had my own child I realized that I was sad that I'd missed out and never knew what it was like to have a party for me.

Obviously everyone is different and some people don't do the party thing, but I do believe it's important to make birthdays special, because once we become adults they become insignifficant.

Metoo wannabe, no one is sayig hey need to have vast amounts of money spent on them it is just creating special memories

but special memories dont just come from a party.

i had birthday parties when i was young, (over age six though) all the kids in the class were invited. i know this because ive seen the pictures, i dont actually remember any party so i guess i didnt enjoy them that much!

ds's first party (school class invited) was no-where near as much fun for him as the ones we've had since in the garden at home. its not about inviting loads of people you hardly know, well it shouldnt be anyway.

How about unless your SIL is actually being abusive (which it really doesn't sound like here) you let her decide what is best for her child and her family?

MAybe there are bits of your parenting that she is equally critical of?