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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask for cash instead of presents at kids party?

493 replies

HuntIdeas · 28/09/2019 05:29

My twins are having a 5th birthday party next week and have 50 guests between them! I’m starting to freak out about the number of presents they will get and where to keep them in the house (plus all that extra plastic that will end up at the dump). WIBU to send a group WhatsApp message asking not to bring presents or to put a bit of cash in a card and I can take them to get something they choose? How could I word it?

Most guests are their new classmates (only started 3 weeks ago), so I don’t know the parents

OP posts:
lyralalala · 30/09/2019 08:01

No sign of OP...

Hardly any wonder given that she’s been called everything from a selfish shit parent to crass and lacking class

EssentialHummus · 30/09/2019 08:02

Me too my.

Separately I went to a bday party yesterday for a lovely little boy with two older siblings. The sheer quantity of toys was amazing - it sort of took over two floors of the house, obviously accumulated and gifted over many years and parties. They may well play with everything, I’ve no idea, but it was visually overwhelming. And of course, it being a birthday, the little one was given more.

myself2020 · 30/09/2019 08:04

@lyralalala and all of that for being sensible and considerate! (i’m relieved if i get a “no gifts please” or “piggybank donation please” invite, as is everyone i spoke to in real life

LaurieMarlow · 30/09/2019 08:06

I’ve never been to a kids party where they’ve opened the presents there and then. I expect it would be too much for them, the excitement is high anyway. Plus they really want to be hanging with their friends.

The OP has 2 lots to get through. That would be a nightmare.

Yabbers · 30/09/2019 08:08

If you're going to be a CF, at least own it without making silly excuses and pretending that CFery is what everyone does

Or, if you want to have your own hang ups about money, that’s fine but don’t put that on everyone else. It is utter snobbery to put people down for having a different attitude to money. People shouldn’t hide behind words like crass and vulgar. Own your snobbery and at least accept your judgement for what it is.

I don’t get this silly little dance people are expected do do around this sort of stuff. “I know you are going to buy something, you know you are going to buy something, but we must pretend that’s not the case and both end up in a situation where we’d probably rather not be instead of being honest about it.”

It’s not grabby to invite a load of kids you barely know and accept gifts from them but it’s grabby to suggest money instead of plastic tat?

Then we have the ridiculous notion that it appears to be some sort of right for your child to have a gazillion gifts and how dare you suggest taking that away from them? So we are raising the next generation to be as wasteful and consumerist as we are, just because it’s so vulgar to talk about money.

When DD was five, we did a charity thing, I suggested it, she loved it, she does it every party she has. People have said it’s virtue signalling or some other such crap, I couldn’t care less. I would rather someone else benefitted from this ridiculous convention of “everyone must bring a gift” than have a playroom full of toys DD never looked at or touched, or that went straight to charity (as if doing that or re-gifting behind someone’s back is any less rude🙄)

If I was asked for cash, I’d stick it in an envelope and not give it a second thought. We asked for vouchers for our honeymoon if people insisted on giving us a gift, and I couldn’t give a crap how crass or vulgar people thought it was. If they want a wedding full of gifts they neither want nor need, that’s up to them.

LaurieMarlow · 30/09/2019 08:25

I find it far more respectful and considerate as a guest for the host to request a small donation.

Otherwise I’m spending time, money and energy shopping for a present - which will probably be shipped straight to the charity shop Confused. Trust me, this is not a ‘polite’ option.

If you say ‘no presents’ then there’s the dance of ‘do I, don’t I‘ in the full knowledge that most parents ignore that instruction. Plus I think people want to mark the birthday child’s day in a small way.

PlasticPatty · 30/09/2019 08:30

Asking for cash is outrageous and frankly low class

It's outrageous, certainly.

As for being 'low class' - I've mixed with 'low class' for a long lifetime and never, ever come across this.

Sadbri · 30/09/2019 08:39

Well I'm the opposite to everyone else here. I've heard of £5 parties, where instead of a parents having to rush to the shops because they forgot a birthday party coming up. Then buy a present that will most likely never be used, or be a replica and the kid will end up with 3 of the same presents. They just gift a £5 note. Probably a lot cheaper than most toys.
I don't care if it's cheeky IMO I think it you lay the rules out at the beginning, that them being there is enough, but if they have to get something £5 towards a huge gift is enough. I'm going to do it with my girls when they get older as I think it's so much easier for parents and my girls will get something they actually want.

Totaldogsbody · 30/09/2019 08:40

I wouldnt ask for cash especially not this year when everyone's just getting to know each other. I would just be grateful for the gifts. At this time of year a lot of churches will take donations of new toys for children who will get no presents at Christmas because of their families circumstances, you could possibly donate some of the unwanted presents and brighten up a childs christmas day.

myself2020 · 30/09/2019 10:29

@PlasticPatty weirdly enough, from what i‘ve seen the higher the socio-economic status of the parent group is, the more likely you are to get “no gifts please“ or “small donation for piggybank” invites. Now, socioeconomic status isn’t the same as class, but why is a discreet gift less classy than a showy parcel?

myself2020 · 30/09/2019 10:32

@Totaldogsbody most churches, charity shops etc are picky. i.e. you get “sealed boxes of lego only (no
own brands please”, “no stationary or books please”, “no boardgames please” as they are inundated with that sort of stuff

LaurieMarlow · 30/09/2019 10:39

from what i‘ve seen the higher the socio-economic status of the parent group is, the more likely you are to get “no gifts please“ or “small donation for piggybank” invites.

Yes I agree

Monestasi · 30/09/2019 11:40

Fiver fever is a brilliant idea!! But then I am someone who is happy when money is requested at a wedding.

I loathe waste, and having run the birthday party gauntlet for more than a decade, I can see that piles of gifts is now an outdated and unnecessary concept.

Whilst nobody is obliged to give a gift, most will always want to give, and receive. A token amount for child to use to guaranteed effect is practical and sensible.

Monestasi · 30/09/2019 11:50

Yabbers

Couldn't agree more.

Happyspud · 30/09/2019 11:55

I have four kids and they have over 30 kinds in their classes! So I say that ‘no gift is required at all but if you already have something organised or would be happy to give £5 in a card, that would be gratefully received as the kids love to save up for experiences and our house can’t take 30 gifts especially with 4 kids getting presents throughout the year’. Many people give £10 because that’s more what people tend to spend but I’m happy with £5 or nothing.

Many, many mums have said to me ‘thank god you said that, it’s so much easier and better for the kid’ and it’s now standard practice in my kids classes.

lovemenorca · 30/09/2019 12:19

from what i‘ve seen the higher the socio-economic status of the parent group is, the more likely you are to get “no gifts please“ or “small donation for piggybank” invites.

Very affluent south east town.
Never seen either
BUT
No plastic tat. Presents are high-quality genuinely nice presents or amazon / book voucher.

MrsCollinssettled · 30/09/2019 12:32

The £2 for the piggy bank is brilliant. Much better than suggesting books as you may end up with 50 copies of the latest David Walliams which will be difficult to get charities to accept. Books are a great idea in theory but unless people are taking time to find unusual titles that the birthday child hasn't read already it's all too easy to end up with multiple copies of titles you can pick up in the supermarket. Who has the time or knowledge to select appropriate books?

myself2020 · 30/09/2019 13:21

@lovemenorca affluent town in southeast as well - london commuter belt. houses are small here (but expensive), maybe that’s the reason for the no gifts/ piggybank approach?
vouchers for Amazon or books would be great, but never seen them.

CecilyP · 30/09/2019 13:29

AND this plastic virtue-ness is short sighted; China and neighboring countries are the big polluters. Most Western countries are handling our waste intelligently.

Yeah, China is a big polluter cos it's mainly their factories who are producing the mountains of stuff that Europeans consume, even stuff that is hardly or never used, brought over on huge container ships that have to be fuelled. If we produced all our own stuff, we would be bigger polluters.

Kokeshi123 · 30/09/2019 13:38

Let them have a great memory of opening a huge stack of gifts!! Adulthood is filled with hard work and disappointment.

This is seriously the most ridiculous post I have seen on MN in a very long time.

Also, what Yabbers said.

ItIsWhatItIsInnit · 30/09/2019 13:46

Let them have a great memory of opening a huge stack of gifts!! Adulthood is filled with hard work and disappointment.

If you genuinely think adulthood is awful, why did you have kids?

I think a lot of life is miserable and rubbish, but for that reason I won't be having kids. If you think life is crap, but I'll have 2 kids so I can buy them a mountain of presents to make up for it, that is ridiculous and also contributing to the landfill crisis. Don't kid yourself that 90% of your charity donations won't end up in landfill anyway.

Kokeshi123 · 30/09/2019 13:52

We have had present-free parties, and my daughter has nothing but wonderful memories--games, running around with her friends, singing happy birthday, all that stuff. I find it disturbing that there are people who have no concept of pleasure other than "accumulating more items to put in their house."

myself2020 · 30/09/2019 13:56

@Kokeshi123 agree.
in 50 or so kids parties, the birthday child has always taken the card/gift, give it to its mum/dad, said “thank you”and then ran off excitedly with his/her friends. waaay to excited about having a party/bouncy castle/friends over/cake to care about gifts

Skysblue · 30/09/2019 14:00

In our class a couple of people have asked the wattsapp group for cash instead of presents and no-one found it at all rude. Everyone knows it’s annoying to get 30 gifts!

One said something like “Please don’t feel obliged to bring a present but if you did want to bring a small something, would it be cheeky to suggest cash in lieu of present, as [child] is keen to save up for a couple of special things?”

Another said “Really looking forward to seeing you all at [party]! [child] asked me to mention that they’re saving up for a [cool thing] so I’m sure he’d be thrilled if anyone wanted to contribute to that in lieu of present. Please don’t feel obliged though! See you Sunday xx”

CecilyP · 30/09/2019 14:24

Might be my background, but i find opening gifts in front of guests incredibly crass (and have never seen any child do that at a party - after about 4 years of birthday parties).

I don't think it's crass and perhaps at a small gathering with 6 to 10 guests, it would be doable. For a whole class party, I don't see how it is. A poster upthread said her DC opened all the presents while the others ate cake - must have been a mighty large slice of cake!

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