Mean Parents

My DGD had her 6th Birthday pirate party in December and was allowed to invite 10 children from the class. Invitations given to mum/dad/carer once children were in the class or before children came out at end of day. Nightmare for me as I only collect a couple of times a week so had to make sure the correct child's name got to the correct adult! Even if only a few are able to be invited so many little ones are hopeful they will get an invitation so not very sensitive to hand invites direct to some kiddies and not others!

I agree with Nelliemoser.
Did he actually want to go? Was it a special friend? Not all children like parties, I hated them when I was that age.
I agree that if it really was the whole class it was not nice, but it could well be an oversight or maybe a lot were left out.

I have the opposite problem. My grandson will be 5 in a few days (where did that time go?) and my daughter invited me to attend his party. As it would have meant spending almost four hours driving there and back, (or more likely a plea to stay overnight) and having stayed for the better part of December at her house I graciously declined . My daughter then immediately said if I'm not going there won't be a party so she's taking him and just a couple of friends to an ice cream place.
Now why do I get the impression that I would have ended up organizing the party if I'd been going?

I wouldn't worry- taking 2 friends out is probably much nicer for the children!

Well, once ours started school we always had all the boys or girls in the class, depending on whether it was DD1, DD2 or DS who was the birthday child. An occasional special friend of the opposite gender and according to some photos I've just been sorting out, one or two friends for each of my other children as well. My children liked the organised chaos and so did I, as it meant that the special needs children and those with the "badly behaved" reputation didn't get left out, as they did by most other parents. The parties didn't cost much when they were little - traditional games inside or down the fields at the end of our street were the order of the day. We never expected a return invitation from anyone - if other parents wanted small parties or none at all, that was entirely up to them (and sometimes a blessed relief when you start on the party circuit!).

Inviting just close friends is absolutely fine, but I would never, ever have left one child out of a whole class invitation. I don't know what gets into people.

I was gobsmacked taken aback once when the mother of a girl in my son's class knocked at our door when his party - all boys - was in full flow, and asked me if she could come in to hand out invitations to most, but not quite all of the boys (and not including DS) to her daughter's party the next week. I just suggested politely that she should give them out at school....I must have been in a good mood that day.