Should I change a small birthday guest list when it leaves out one lunch-group child?
Parenting"It's my birthday. Do I have to invite someone just because everyone else likes him?" My daughter is turning eight and has chosen a craft party with six places, including her own.
Her list is four children from her lunch group and her cousin. There are six children in that lunch group altogether, so one boy would be the only one left out. She says he takes over games and won't let her choose what they play. I have heard her complain about this before, but I haven't seen their lunches.
Her cousin invited her to his party last month. She's excited to have him there, and I don't want to treat him as a spare place we can reclaim. Adding the boy means booking the next package, which costs $90 more. We could afford it by dropping the decorations and takeaway afterward. Or we could switch to something smaller and invite fewer school friends.
My partner says a private party doesn't have to include a whole group. I agree, but this list feels different from inviting two close friends. No invitations have gone out, and I haven't checked whether the school has rules about distributing them. Where would you draw the line between choosing your guests and arranging an afternoon where one child is conspicuously missing?