Invited to party and no one there!

[harlacem0507]

As the title starts basically! My 19 month old got invited to a 1st birthday party by a mum I know from baby group (not close but make small talk every week) at our local village hall. Party started at 3pm, we rocked up at 3.20 as our daughter overslept from her nap and no one was there! Bouncy castle was inflated, along with chairs and tables and balloons organized but no one about! We saw the lady that runs the village hall she said they popped back for something and gave her a call, said u have guests, mum replied we are coming back anyway, so we waited another 20 minutes outside the actual doors (but inside the main hall) then the brother of the mum arrived and let us in, a few more people with kids arrived and it got to 4.10 and we decided to leave, there was no juice to get the kids, no food etc as they obviously hadn't come back, I felt a bit bad leaving but aibu to think wtf was all that about? I mean I like to think I'm chilled but this was on another level? My partner was astounded by it! Oh and we didn't leave the present either as it seemed a bit odd leaving it and not being there so my daughter is currently playing with it!

Could it have been that no one turned up at the allotted time, they got upset and left ?
It happens.
You were a little late, and that’s understandable with a little one, but that might have been the issue too.
Whatever it was be kind.
xxxxx

Well IMO parties for 1 year olds ARE a bit daft but each to their own

They weren't hanging around outside and it wasn't empty. They were let in by the uncle and there was a bouncy castle, she says her baby played. That's fun.

There was someone to give the present to. The uncle. He could pass it on.

Are you sure the party wasn't at 5pm rather than 15h00?

(I've done that before with my Ocado delivery and booked at 5.30pm instead of 15h30)

Fair. I wouldn't have one either, but if I went to one I'd take a present. And if something unfortunate seemed to have happend, I wouldn't keep it for my child.

Brother arrived to let people in an hour late. Didn't he say a word at all? That's the missing link for me!

Or they forgot the birthday cake, big row, went home to get it and found ddog had eaten it, more words, foot stamping. I'm NOT going back there without a birthday cake, you go and let them in. I'm staying here. Don't say anything OK.

Yes this sounds about right. It’s to be expected that a baby or 2 will oversleep and be late but you were 20 mins late and nobody else had arrived? The woman was probably in a terrible state that she’d hired a hall and nobody had come and that’s why she didn’t rush back. Agree mean not to leave the present.

Yes it sounds to me like the party was meant to start later - they’d been to do the initial set up then gone home to get the food etc? Maybe they accidentally wrote wrong time on some of the invites?
But it’s a bit strange that the brother didn’t say “Oh the party is meant to start at …. time”.
To only wait 20 mins and to pack up all food etc and go seems unlikely unless there was a family emergency. Maybe they sent out a message on a group chat you’re not on cancelling it?

This is what I don't get either. Did he just silently unlock the door and stand aside? And when they didn't show, did nobody ask him what was going on?

Christ, do people not TALK! 😱😫😭🤯🥵🤯🫨😱

...or 'here is baby's present, sorry it's not gone to plan for them today' 🧐🧐🧐

I once went to a party at a soft play place and the birthday girl and family were over an hour late. They had 15 mins left of their allotted session by the time they arrived. It was so awkward, the staff kept asking parents of the invited guests what was going on. None of us really knew the mum and didn’t have her number. All the kids had a great time playing. I felt sorry for the birthday girl when she finally arrived!

I'd assume something had happened and hope it wasn't something awful. No one spends money on hosting a party then doesn't turn up for no reason.

Keeping the present was mean. Couldn't you have taken it with you to the village hall where you see the mum every week?

Yes, it is weird, but other people have lives too! Making a kid missing out on her birthday party all about you is absurd. They were probably late because of something serious or important. No one would spend all that money on their kid and not show up without a good reason! That poor girl was probably having a hard time missing out on her big day, and you keep her birthday present??? That would have likely made her feel much better about the day going sideways if she received a nice gift at the end of the day. Maybe you were the only one who was decent enough to show up, then after you left she had nobody! What a miserable day. If I were that lady I would never talk to you again, let alone give you a courteous invitation as a mother. You are grown, act like it!

I was thinking this too. You said yourself you see her at baby group. Just give it to her then.

To take a present off a one year old is proper stingy!

For heaven’s sake, she didn’t prise it out of a sobbing child’s hands! If OP gets a call tomorrow saying the party’s been rearranged (or similar), she can always buy something else.

Check your invite again- I bet it started at 4pm. Why else would no one else be there at 320, and people started arriving just when you'd had enough of waiting and decided to leave?!

After 15 minutes?!

All these people saying “The poor mother probably went home heartbroken because no one had turned up” - did she do this without sending a single “Just checking you’re on your way?” text, or giving anyone a call? And if she’s gone home believing no one is coming, why did she say she was coming back when the village hall caretaker phoned her? And why did her brother turn up? Why didn’t he phone her, or she phone him?

The whole thing is ridiculous.

Do you really think a one year old has a clue what's going on?! They don't know what a birthday is let alone the expectation of a present!

Why is handing the present over reliant on there being a party?

‘Twas written with my tongue in my cheek. Sorry you didn’t realise.

All sounds a bit odd but I personally would have left the present as a nice gesture and setting a good example as to what is the right thing to do.

No, but it might make their week a little bit less wank. It doesn't sound like they've had a nice day. A little pressie would make the baby happy.

It isn’t. But it is fairly traditional for the birthday child and their parents to actually turn up.

Not a condition of giving a baby a birthday present, though.

I think it’s strange you didn’t keep the present to pass over at a later date?

Yes that is rude of them.and werid. Was it just you and the brother in the venue? So werid. No food or drinks there either?