To be shocked and dismayed that DS has been invited to a joint party.

[SparklyDiscoGirl]

This party is going to be in a soft-play centre and it is a joint party between 4 of the boys in his class.

AIBU to think that this is a total cop-out on behalf of the parents involved?

DS is friends with all 4 of the boys and so it will be impossible to do anything excpet buy a present each for all 4 boys.

The parents who are planning this party clearly realise that this will be the predicament for all of the parents of invited children and yet are going ahead with this ludicrous plan regardless.

AIBU to think this is just taking the whole joint party thing waaay too far?

DD went to one a party that was shared between 3. I thought it was really sensible as the birthdays were all close together, shared organisation, etc etc. So when the mum of the girl who shares dd's birthday approached me about a joint party I jumped at the chance - and dd was perfectly happy about it as was the other little girl.

If you were happy for your son to 4 separate parties, and buy a present for each of them, I don't really understand what the problem is, the only difference is the party is on one day.

I wish my DSs had had 3 friends that they could share a party with- sounds a great idea.

the petrol you will save on going to the one party instead of a possible four will surely cover the cost of the pressies anyway.

I have done joint parties with friends and with my own children in the past, far far easier than lots of parties that are the same IMO.

LOL @ MP's marble retraction.

Yes HC. I think she's lying about the pirate thingy too

ds is having a joint party with 2 friends from school. Each guest will bring one present and we will share them out.

Message withdrawn

I think the point is that the invitee is only being invited/entertained once rather than multiple times.

Also I am assuming the £1.50 is a quarter of the £6 it might cost per head for a party at a fairly cheap soft play place.

I wouldn't do a shared party for my DC's but I have huge party isshhhoos.

more to the point where is the soft play area that will do a party for £1.50 I need to work out if its feasibile to use for DS's birthday...

What actual difference will it make that it is the birthday of four boys rather than one? The party will still go the same, maybe 4 cakes instead of one, the same kids will be there.

I would love to able to afford a party at all for mine but accept it when they are invited and we have bought about 30 presents over the last 3 years and had none back. It is fine.

Find the idea of divvying up presents a bit weird tbh. Though I think if I was buying 4 presents at once they would all be pretty much the same...

I really thought this thread as about another type of joint!

"I don't like the idea of divvying up the presents. I put thought and effort into buying presents and wouldn't want it to go to the wrong recipient."

Blimey. Really? I have a fairly generic set of presents that are given at classmates parties (EG - a "Do you Doodle" book and some fancy pens). I find it hard to lovingly select presents for my family - not a hope in buggery of me doing the same for Adam, Ben, Clara etc in the DCs class - they get whatever is my current standard "5 year old Girl Present" (or whatever) and that's it!

If invited to a party from 4 boys all of whom having a birthday, all of whose parents have been generous enough to invite us, I would take 4 pressies. I just do the tour of poundland, pound shop, quality save, b&m bargains once a month or so and have a stash of impressive looking presents all ready. Quality Save just had very nice birthday cards for 29p each - I bought, er 30 which should do us for parties for at least 3 years.

I think its horrible to do one-party=one-present.

3 extra little pressies is a small price to pay for 3 free saturday afternoons imo.

You should be happy your child is so popular as to be invited by all four of the party boys.

SPD, I think you're probably like me and actually buy a half way decent present (I always think what would dc like?) so agree that 4 x decent presents in one hit feels like too much £ in one outlay.

But as everyone has said be grateful you're spared soft-play hell over and over & if the parents can't afford a party this is a very good way of giving their dcs one or maybe they were planning to host it on the same day so solves the 'whose party to go to' problem.

Anyway, just feel for the parents - 4x plastic crap they've got to find room for although if you have a heart buy them share out a bogof book each.

Soft play for £1.50 a head - Where in the country are you.

God soft play parties here are £7.00 a head!!!!

1 party for 4 childeren is fine, small pressie is fine too. Get on with it FGS

Our soft play places are £8-£10 for a party and £4 ish to go normally.

Are you sure you have to pay? That would be a bit strange.

I too would rather go to one joint party than 4 of them. I would buy books.

Don't understand...sounds great that 4 parties are amalgamated into one.
YABU

YABVU IMO. It sounds like common sense to me. Parties can take over your life - it's great that these 4 are combined - it would be silly for them to have their own, and then all the same friends attend each one.

Sounds to me like you're bitter because you can't join with anyone for your LO's party and therefore save money or AIBU?!

Surely the OBVIOUS thing to do (and I haven't time to read the thread, so don't flame me if it's been said) is for the parents in the class to do a collection. You could then all join at ONE DECENT present for each of the boys.

Their parents are happy cos there's no huge pile of plastic tat, you're happy cos you've not spent much, and the boys (should be) happy cos they might get something they actually want!

Is that not win-win all round?

I am convinced that the £1.50 is £6 per child divided between the four families of the birthday children. Surely nowhere in the land has soft play parties for £1.50 per head.

How weird.

To have the idea that your present is in exchange for the party, and that if you don't get an individual party for each present you are somehow being cheated.

A very sad way to look at life 'I'm only giving if I'm getting, and am I getting enough in excahnge?'

My DS's have been to joint to parties and had joint parties. Just seemed sensible;avoided double cost, avoided parents taking kids two weekends in a row to same venue, kids friends and liked it. I thought it was win win.

I usualy spend £5 on kids party presnets. There is so much crap after parties no one really pays any attention to what you bought.

It's a gesture.

You have strange priorities.

I hate having to loads of kids parties too. it interferes with our weekensd doing our own stuff.

I'm usually standing around the soft play hall smiling and chatting but frustratedly thinking 'I could be bloody. painting that room/shopping/gardening/seeing frinds.'

I kind of presumed we all were, unless some people really do have nothing better to do.

Maybe the OP is really more bothered by the fact that 4 sets of parents have had the sense to club together and organise a joint party, thereby splitting the cost 4 ways, when the OP is having the fork out full price for one party?

Best present my son had when he was ten:

A huge (shockingly huge) bag of chocolates with a five pound note pinned to it.