Why do British people (at least on MN!) Have such issues with adults celebrating birthdays?

[BlazesBoylansHat]

This has always been really striking to me & I've been on this site on & off for at least 15+ years.

The idea that adults like to celebrate their birthday brings out such negative reactions. I've never understood it!

Is it a cultural thing?

I'm Irish & we generally love to celebrate & speaking for me & my circle, we see the joy in marking these occasions as so many dont get that privilege.

But MN is another world when it comes to this!

Why is that?

It’s just competitive misery. No celebrations, no heating, and no eating except a massive salad.

God knows. Any excuse to celebrate is my attitude. Life’s hard and stressful, why not take an opportunity to have some fun?

😂

just to annoy the miserable Marthas, I had a baby shower!

Exactly! You’re alive in time for the blink of an eye, so why not?!

I think this is just on here tbh

I suspect most British people don't post on here 😉
I bloody love a birthday. They're always a big deal in my family.

Yeah I dont get it either. Birthdays are yours, not shared like xmas and its not a massive ask to be spoilt a bit on your birthday by those around you.

I like to be spoilt by my loved ones on my birthday and I equally make a fuss of them, gifts, dinner out etc.

I dont make a fuss over friends and I wouldn't go away for a weekend for a friend's milestone birthday in the same way i wouldn't for a hen do. But in my little family of 5, we make a fuss of each other's birthdays.

What I don't like are the martyrs.... dh has forgotten my birthday but im too proud to say anything, help me plan revenge types! Theres nothing wrong with saying out loud to your own dh its my birthday next month, I really fancy trying that xyz restaurant, what do you think? Shall we book a baby sitter? Theres nothing wrong with that.

I have no idea but I find it really odd. I don't understand people who say it's 'attention seeking' or whatever. It isn't, it's just fun. Same with weddings, although I can understand naysayers a little more with that, especially as with weddings there tends to be more pressure to attend.

I think there are a lot of birthday diva threads where posters feel entitled to be treated like a princess on their birthday and so those kinds of threads get backlash. In my view if it's your own birthday you are the one that should throw the party/buy the drinks and so on and create the celebratory atmosphere. But it seems like a lot of people sit back and do nothing and then get pissed off when no one else makes much of a deal of it.

I don't know any 'British' people who object to adults having birthday celebrations. I've never met anyone in real life who thought it was odd.

MN is full of weirdos (who may, or may not be British)

I have never understood this miserly attitude either!

Life is short, it's literally one day per year to do some nice things for you - who wouldnt want that?

Sometimes this place is like the online equivalent of the 4 Yorkshire man sketch by Monty Python- the one where they are all ridiculously bragging about who suffered the most and who grew up with the least. Competitive misery contest.

Haha. Yeah. I'm English but this seems to be the case. Unless you only have the heating on for 2 days a year you're somehow inferior to everyone else who seem to derive pleasure out of being miserable and uncomfortable.

The vast majority of adults celebrate birthdays in the UK. It's just the vocal minority who think it's something to be ashamed about.

I’ll celebrate any old shit. Life’s bad enough!

Mumsnet is an international site so there are lots of people posting who aren't British. Plus tons of different cultural influences within the UK. I've not noticed people being against adults celebrating birthdays in real life in the UK personally. People just like being contrary on Mumsnet

You're worse than Hitler 🤣

Oh me too. Halloween soon!

It's not a British thing, it's a Mumsnet thing.

I dislike celebrating my own birthday, would rather not acknowledge it, but I don’t have a problem with other people celebrating theirs.

Or a small chicken that lasts a week

Because they make such a fuss here. Do what you want to do but to expect other people to be excited enough to go on holiday all because there is a zero is weird. The poster today was having a family meal, a siblings meal and seeing friends, but was being questioned as why she wasn’t having a party and holiday - meals and seeing friends is lovely and proportionate

There seems to be quite a lot of lonely people on here judging by the amount of threads asking how to make friends. By lonely I mean having no one outside of their husband and kids. So the attitude could be a defensive thing? Personally, I’ll take any excuse for a celebration. Life is hard right now!

JWs don't celebrate birthdays, but I suspect most people in the UK do. There's certainly a good trade in birthday paraphernalia.

You make a small chicken last a week???. Well hark at you, your majesty

Did you invite Amal Clooney?

Oh god, the competitive under heating 🙄.
There's always someone who has their thermostat set to 7°c, which they claim is perfectly normal, they throw all the windows open and permanently wear shorts.