Invited friends to my home for lunch but they each want to bring someone else too.People I don't know well.

[Motheroffive999]

As title.
Invited 3 school friends over for lunch next week end.
First friend texted and said they are looking forward to lunch and could they bring their adult daughter too ?
Then this morning another girl phoned and said she has family visiting and can she bring her mum?
2 minutes ago the 3rd friend phones to ask what time we are eating and could she bring her kids aged 14 and 15 ?
Is this normal?

Cheeky fuckers.

I would say id they've arrived without warning then no, it wouldn't be rude to leave them on their own.

I can understand someone asking to bring their mum. An adult child? My adult children would rather cut off their arms than go to a lunch with me and my friends!

And teenage kids? I can't believe they'd want to go either and they would definitely change the dynamic. They're old enough to be left at home with their X Boxes and Snapchat for company

Nope. Cancel it.

Good grief! I’d say that maybe you should meet at a restaurant some other time. Very rude.

Not sure what the issue is with people bringing people. We are forever putting on bbqs and we feed a whole host of new people, i always over cater anyway..the more the better. We are a very open and inviting home and often host a lunch or a dinner and oir family and friends might bring a +1. My older kids have their parties here because we have the room. If you dont want to feed extras you could ask everyone to bring a plate of something and some drinks and share the load that way your not catering for extras or supplying extras.

This is very rude of the original guests…….they must surely have known that they’d got visitors themselves and really ought to have declined your invitation from the outset.
Reply to all three and say no but you will rearrange an alternative date.

It would a firm no from me.

Why would your friend’s mother’s opinion matter to you? I never give my friend’s mother a second thought. My kids have friends some I like some I’m not so keen on but I don’t interfere. Curious is that 3 salads or do you put tuna, chicken and egg in one salad - is that a popular thing to eat around where you live?

How strange. Cancel the lunch. Yanbu

Excellent idea.

100% reschedule

It’s not usual. I would be rescheduling the day since they all seem like they have other commitments that day with other people.

Very rude actually to ask if someone else can come unless that someone is a dependent and they have no childcare.

Just text them individually or on the groupchat and say something like
"Hey looks like everyone has clashes so it's best to cancel and I'll rearrange for a later date! X"

Never rearrange it and if you do go to a restaurant and pay for your own meals.

What weirdos / CFs...

Look at the poll results and you will see you are in a minority.

Going against the grain here, it wouldn’t bother me. I would find it funny that all three had asked to bring someone else! But I like hosting for people - I would see it as a party!

I agree with the poster above though - my teen children would literally beg me NOT to go! That’s the oddest one.

Though to add if I was a person asking to come I would say something along the lines of ‘as we’re being CFs asking if X can come I’ll bring some extra food, I’ll make something’ and then I would turn up with some food and a big bunch of flowers for the host

Weird!! Can I bring my Mum??? Ummm no!! How strange! Don't the older children have other things to do? Also weird!

Just cancel before it turns into a bloody party.

I think it's weird rather than cheeky and it'd be a firm NO from me!

This. It’s totally weird and rude. Don’t be badgered into hosting them all.

And if anyone suggests going out instead then you can guarantee you will be hit with a third of the bill.

This is so completely unheard of I don't believe it!

Not normal.
Extremely rude.
You are not a restaurant.
You reply "afraid not, I understand if you can't make it".

Not a chance they would get another invitation.

How often do you see this group? If its very often and randoms have attended before, I can partly see why they've asked. If its only a rare catch up to talk about old times- its very rude.

At least they asked beforehand. When I visit the country I grew up in, I enjoy catching up with old work colleagues, my best friend etc. One trip, I'd just lost my 3rd pregnancy and really wanted to catch up with my friend- just us. I organised a table for 2. She turned up with her teen girls and said that the girls really liked the food there! She then left earlier than planned to visit a friend who'd been having a hard time!

Can the lunch.