Paying to go to a kid’s birthday party..?

[hannneshy]

Some friends of ours havs recently booked a party for their six year old at a zoo. The invite says all accompanying adults need to pay their own entry into the zoo (£15 per adult)
(details slightly changed for anon purposes)
Is this a pisstake, or am I being unreasonable?
if this was me, I’d have absorbed that cost into the cost of the party booking - I would’ve covered it. Surely..?

I looked at booking a party at a zoo but you had to pay for adults too, it wasn’t just in a party room though, you got to go round the zoo for as long as you wanted. In the end I didn’t because it wasn’t going to cost too much, DC would have only been able to have a handful of friends because of the need for us to pay for adults too. I wouldn’t have dreamt of asking the other parents to pay! Although to be fair if my son got invited to something like that I’d probably happily pay as it’s essentially £15 for a full day out.

You do get to do sum things outside, maybe seeing some of the animals? What I’m saying is, the kids are between 4 and 6, so its not a dropoff, we have to be with them. Why arent the parents taking the cost it has for adults to be there as part of their cost? I would be paying for x kids and x adults as part of the package. Not just the kids and if the kids want to go then their caregiver has to pay? Its basically saying your kid can come if they can pay. This sounds odd to me.

Maybe they cant afford it. Ideally they would pay or if they cant then they wouldn't have it at the zoo but since this is what they are offering all you can do is decide whether or not you pay so your child will go to the party.

Why ? How old are they ?

They can afford it. I just wouldn’ have dreamt of asking parents to cover the cost of a party i was holding!

Between 4 and 6

So is it family friends rather than a school friend party?

You’re still not being clear op.

Are they saying you HAVE to stay?

or are you choosing to?

I would have dropped my 6 year old- 4yo not so much. It is a year 1 party ? So most will be 6 ?

If I was required to stay and pay to do so, my child just wouldn’t be going.

Have they specifically asked parents to stay or are you assuming you have to because of the ages of the kids? Or you don’t want to drop and run?

Reception, ages are 4-6 year olds.

You have a Reception class that includes children of 3 different ages?

Your responses are really irritatingly vague.

These children are between four and six, mostly four.

Most are 4

BUT HAVE THE HOSTS SAID YOU HAVE TO STAY?

<exhales>

And how many of these children are yours and what age are they? Your decision to stay or not doesnt need to take into account anyone else's children.

The children are mostly four years old, we have to stay.

YANBU OP - we did a birthday party at a zoo for DD a few years ago & we agreed to pay for one adult per family as well as the kids, but other parents & siblings could also attend at their own cost. I’d never dream of asking parents to pay to attend a party.

Is that what the parents have said or what you are choosing? It's still not clear whether this is how you feel (which I agree at that age if many children are invited) or if the invite specifically says one parent per child must remain on site and pay £15 for entry.

No reception are in 4 September when they start turning 5 in the school year. Year one are 5 in September and turning 6 in the school year.

It is not a summon if you don't like it decline and let them invite someone else.

You couldn't pay me to stay never mind me paying for the privilege 😂

Right. So you are choosing to stay. Yabu then.

its a stay party, believe me

No, I mean they’re mostly reception age kids