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Kid Skips Birthday Party, Mom Invoices Kid's Parents $25

hellohkbhellohkb mod
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in Chit Chat
http://jezebel.com/kid-skips-birthday-party-mom-invoices-kids-parents-25-1680381042


Thoughts on this? I know it's frustrating when guests don't show up to an event, but actually invoicing the kids parents is.. Pretty extreme, imo. Also, I've decided my non-existent children will just have small simple birthday parties with only family and a few friends. It seems like too much time and work to have a party outside of the house.


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Re: Kid Skips Birthday Party, Mom Invoices Kid's Parents $25

  • kat1114kat1114 member
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    Well, that's one way to make sure the birthday boy won't have any friends.
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  • lyndausvilyndausvi mod
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    No shows are a part of planning a party.  Everyone has them.  Some a legit reasons (sick, etc), some are just flakes.      IMO once you put in your final numbers you just have to realize that is the cost of the party regardless if everyone or no one shows.  

    Doesn't mean you can't get annoyed, but billing your guests is not the answer.    Especially if they wasn't any indication and/or contract (verbal or otherwise) before hand that canceling and/or no shows have to pay a fee.    






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
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  • hellohkbhellohkb mod
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    pinkrevenge said:
    I'm still just tickled that she thinks she's going to take someone to small claims over $25 because a kid saying he wants to come is a legally-binding contract with a fee. I would pay money to be a fly on that judge's wall.
    I feel like just sucking up the $25 would be so much cheaper and less time consuming.

    But, logic. Can't let that pesky little thing get in the way there!


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  • VulgarGirlVulgarGirl member
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    I can't wrap my brain around big parties for little kids. I never had those growing up. At most, if it wasn't a zillion degrees out, we'd go up to the park, there'd be cake and some food at a gazebo. Maybe someone would grill out and there'd probably be a piñata. They were always fun but I don't think our parents shelled out that much cash. And goodie bags? Did you see the fucking piñata? That's your goodie bag. Done.

    Otherwise they were in someone's house/backyard, mostly family with a few clothes friends. One time one of my friends got a bounce house. That was huge. I usually had sleepovers since I didn't have little siblings at my mom's house.

    No way am I throwing these over the top invite the whole class parties. You don't like the whole class. They aren't all coming. I read once a formula that you should invite one kid per year of your child. So a 5 tear old should have at most 5 non related kids at their party because that's probably all they can handle. Sounded good to me.

    But I'm with @pinkrevenge‌ I wanna see this court case! Omg go judge Judy! Please!!
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  • VulgarGirlVulgarGirl member
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    edited January 2015
    @jenna8984 your kids can come play with mine. I will let them beat paper machete figures with sticks until candy falls out. But I won't charge you for it.
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  • AddieCakeAddieCake member
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    Every day I am amazed at how little shame people have any more.
    What did you think would happen if you walked up to a group of internet strangers and told them to get shoehorned by their lady doc?~StageManager14
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  • jenna8984jenna8984 member
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    @magicink Sold! I didn't have parties either when I was little. We had a hot tub and since my bday is still winter, I'd get to invite 3-5 friends over to eat pizza and go in the hot tub. I don't even think they slept over. Once my mom brought a birthday cake to end of my cheer practice, that's about it.

    My nephew is turning 5 and all of his parties have been ridiculous. Like 50-100 people at a bounce house place. I will not be that parent at all.

                                                                     

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  • amelishaamelisha member
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    I got a magician once when I was turning about 5. But my parents bought the house from him a few years earlier so I think we got a discount on account of all the dove feathers and stuff they had to clean out his basement.

    This whole thing is the same as it is for weddings - don't ever have a party you can't afford to or don't want to host properly in line with the occasion. People are crazy, man.

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  • loveislouderloveislouder member
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    I was going to post this! It's absolutely ridiculous.
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  • danamwdanamw member
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    I understand the party parent's frustration, but "invoicing" is a tacky move. But did the invited kid tell the birthday boy that he couldn't make it, as soon as he found out? Or did he just not say anything, and just no-show?

    When I was a kid in the Dark Ages, I had one kid party. Just 10 or so little girls in the living room, cake, Pin the Tail On the Donkey, and prizes from the 5&10. It was great. All the rest of my parties were relatives, and I had to behave. Blech.

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  • wrigleyvillewrigleyville member
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    I saw this on my FB feed earlier. It's complete bullshit. One of the risks of planning a party is that you're going to end up spending additional money for no-shows.

    A commenter on the article made a good point: even if you don't have a fancy ski outing or whatnot and have a simple cake-at-home party, you're still out money if you make enough cake and provide enough food for, say, 25 kids and only 20 show up. You just don't have hard numbers like you do with a resort entry fee.
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  • afox007afox007 member
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    If one of FSS's friend's mom pulled that shit we would be declining every future invite. This is a huge part of why every party we've had that wasn't at home is something that I can pay per head when we get there like the movies or bowling.     

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  • HaileyDancingbearHaileyDancingbear member
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    As someone who works at a place that does kid's birthday parties, I can say that happens all the time.  I feel bad too when a parent pays for 14 kids, but only like 10 or 11 show up- like most other places, we charge for the 14, because we still set up for those kids.  It sucks to see people pay extra money because their friends were too rude to let them know they weren't coming after all, but Invoicing someone?  That's absolutely insane.  

    Honestly, no shows are by far not the biggest show of douchebaggery by a guest I've seen.  We get a lot of people that get an invite for ONE of their kids, so they show up to this party for 5 year olds with that kid, AND THEIR UNINVITED 2 YEAR OLD who they then let run all the fuck over the place sucking on everything while the 5 year olds are trying to enjoy whatever activity we planned for them.  Or they'll bring an UNINVITED sibling who is in the same age range as the other kids, who will promptly sit down at someone else's spot, forcing us to scramble to set up for an extra kid so that all the INVITED kids can participate in the party.  

    So we've had parties where basically 5 uninvited kids show up and either participate in the activity, or run around slobbering on anything they get their hands on.  So we then charge the birthday parents for these 5 uninvited kids.  Frankly I wouldn't mind seeing THOSE parents invoiced for just showing up with extra kids and making the birthday parent pay for it.
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  • jenna8984jenna8984 member
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    But I am curious...did the invitation say you had to pay your own $25 to get in? Because if not, she would have paid the same amount had he been there.

                                                                     

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  • hellohkbhellohkb mod
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    jenna8984 said:

    But I am curious...did the invitation say you had to pay your own $25 to get in? Because if not, she would have paid the same amount had he been there.

    I guess she felt it was "wasted" money.


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  • larrygagalarrygaga member
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    edited January 2015
    pinkrevenge said:
    I'm still just tickled that she thinks she's going to take someone to small claims over $25 because a kid saying he wants to come is a legally-binding contract with a fee. I would pay money to be a fly on that judge's wall.
    I came in to say this. LOL

    My mom took a couple of friends and I camping when I was 16. It was AWESOME.

    That was the most party I ever got, and the campground was half a mile down the road on a lake that we already had a season pass to.
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  • Gustafson28Gustafson28 member
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    jenna8984 said:

    God it's going to be so hard to be a parent. To restain myself from things like giving her monopoly money with "fuck off" written on it.

    See, that's kinda why I'm excited to be a parent
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  • lovesclimbinglovesclimbing member
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    MagicInk said:
    I can't wrap my brain around big parties for little kids. I never had those growing up. At most, if it wasn't a zillion degrees out, we'd go up to the park, there'd be cake and some food at a gazebo. Maybe someone would grill out and there'd probably be a piñata. They were always fun but I don't think our parents shelled out that much cash. And goodie bags? Did you see the fucking piñata? That's your goodie bag. Done. Otherwise they were in someone's house/backyard, mostly family with a few clothes friends. One time one of my friends got a bounce house. That was huge. I usually had sleepovers since I didn't have little siblings at my mom's house. No way am I throwing these over the top invite the whole class parties. You don't like the whole class. They aren't all coming. I read once a formula that you should invite one kid per year of your child. So a 5 tear old should have at most 5 non related kids at their party because that's probably all they can handle. Sounded good to me. But I'm with @pinkrevenge‌ I wanna see this court case! Omg go judge Judy! Please!!
    Same here.  The most friends I ever had a for a birthday party in my entire 18 years at home was four. Other than that, it was family dinners or one or two friends over for cake and ice cream.  That's it.  The rest of my siblings were the same except for one time my little sister had a joint-pool party with another friend and so a million friends were invited because it was one cost for the pool regardless of how many kids came.

    Now way are my kids having these insane parties that cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.
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  • InkdancerInkdancer member
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    My favorite birthday party ever was my fourth birthday. My mom got a white sheet cake, and let me instruct her on how to decorate it. (Put sprinkles there, put a big green 4 in the middle, etc.) Nobody else came and it was great.

    There is no damn reason you need to take your elementary school aged children skiing. You are just crafting a spoiled child.
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
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    edited June 2015

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  • afox007afox007 member
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    I'm disgusted by how many times I have seen this one Facebook today with people siding with the mom. Everyone from my cousin with two kids to my vet adamantly opposed to ever procreating friend from high school seems to think the mom is in the right and how dare the other kid be a no show.


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  • afox007afox007 member
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    edited January 2015
    Double post
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  • LondonLisaLondonLisa member
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    I honestly feel like there are no adults acting like adults in this situation.

    1.) The father should have ABSOLUTELY called and cancelled his son's attendance. No-shows are rude and being double booked is not an excuse, just flaky.
    2.) I'm not buying the " I couldn't contact them" excuse. Who let's their 5 year old go to a place without having a contact phone number of the adult in charge? That just seems like very bad parenting. Also, dad, you're children are in the same school. I guarantee you if you had attempted to find this person's contact information (calling a friend, calling the school, facebook as a last resort) you would have been successful.
    3.) £16 per head for a child's birthday party is ridiculous
    4.) Invoicing is beyond inconsiderate, especially without talking to the other parent first. What if the child had the flu? or another emergency. The mother was extremely rude here
    5.) The fact that the school passed this on and didn't shut it down is just barmy
    6.) What the hell is this father trying to achieve by going to the media about this? Yes, this woman acted ridiculously but you don't need to internationally shame her for being stupid.  Congratulations, you just attached the (albeit misguided) actions of this woman to the internet footprint of her 5 year old child and YOUR child. I bet you son is going to thank you when he has to apply for university and for jobs!



     
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