I think you just grew up in a good place. I grew up in the 1970s, and this stuff was going on then. I was one of the poorer kids in the school. I was not invited to parties. No more than one or two kids would show up for my birthdays. When I was in middle school, it was -10 below, and my best friend’s mother refused…

Raised differently?? Fine. But to imply my parents didn’t respect me or were “asshole tyrants” is a dickhead thing to say. If Shoe just wanted to point out that he/she was raised differently, then he/she could have just said that. It was a condescending, and yes asshole, response.

This entire thread is bringing back memories of when I was meaner than I needed to be to kids who needed me to be nicer. (And to be honest, I was one of the kids who was treated meanly a lot and should have known better not to step on others.) The guilt of that stays with you.

Yes, it is so disrespectful for parents to make sure all kids are included. What assholes.

Christ, you just reminded me of yesterday. My IL’s kids were there (I wasn’t expecting them when I went to dinner...) - and twice in the same hour, I heard things out of those kids that made my internal pseudo-parent go “NO. JUST NO. GET OVER IT”. Meanwhile both actual parents were just like “mmmmmm well no, ummm why…

Please. We are always running around the weekend doing activities and other things that we can’t go to every single party. Im not canceling classes that I paid for in order to take my kids to yet another birthday party. If it works in our schedule, fine but I’m not bending over backwards.

And yet, when someone asks Miss Manners how to politely decline an unwanted invitation, they are not told to attend anyway. They are given helpful advice on declining with appropriate phrasing. Because your definition of the etiquette of invitations is not the generally accepted one.

Really? I don’t consider all invitations to be obligations. First of all, in some cases, I know *I’m* just being invited for the sake of form, and that my presence or absence will not make or break the event.

Well aren’t you a special little snowflake??!!

sybann, what you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it.

Something about your post rubbed me the wrong way, like you were humble bragging through your kids

Oh hell no. Nobody gets to plan something for me to attend but me. If I’d rather stay home and pick lint out my bellybutton than go to whatever event you planned, then that is exactly what I’m gonna do. I will, however, definitively let you know whether or not I’m coming, and I won’t flake if I say yes.

entitled dickheads allowed to grow without any actual parental upbringing

If your kid can’t tell the difference between accepting a formal party invitation from a peer and climbing into a stranger danger, Criminal Minds van- you need to not let your kid outside by themselves ever.

LOL! I think we can safely disregard any comment made by someone who refers to it as “the teevee.”

Many children who go to public schools are there because their parents don’t have the privilege of considering other options. Slow down before you call someone a troll and a POS. Wow.

What the shit???? When I was a kid, my parents made me go to several classmates’ parties that I didn’t want to go to. They also made me invite people I didn’t want to invite to my parties because they didn’t want kids left out. I strongly believe this taught me a valuable lesson about including people and doing the…

Um. What? I went to public school and. Have impeccable manners, had lots of friends who were always kind to one another and all went out of our way (as did 90% of my class) to welcome new or “outsider” students. And I know like ten people who went to private schools. One of them is amazing and my best friend. The rest…

When it comes to dealing with the world’s assholes and atrocities, I live by the words of Mr. Fred Rogers.