Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.

Ganymede · May 21, 2019, 3:23 AM

Parents.

When your kid gets a birthday invitation, you should respond to the parents of the child who prepared the invitation. Especially if it is hand-written because some dumb-ass took the time to fucking write it out by hand when their partner could have easily allowed her to type it up, but, no, there's something more personal about a hand-written invitation when the invitation is printed on a glossy fucking card that makes writing on it impossible unless by ball-point pen, and, even then you have to press hard enough to make a fucking diamond out of that ink.

I digress.

Is it just me, though, or are young parents lazy and inconsiderate? When I got an invitation to a birthday, my parents would bend their schedule around it. So, when my kids get an invitation we will move our schedules around to accommodate, unless an accommodation is either unreasonable or impossible.

I find it very hard to believe that a Friday birthday after 5:00 PM is an unreasonable or impossible time. And we sent out the invites a month ago.

Anyhow, I suppose I'm peeved because my partner just broke down into tears. She's afraid that our boy isn't going to have as many invitees show up as our girl, and that this will scar him. And while I know there's nothing I can do about it, when my partner gets upset-to-tears I become a holy fucking bitch-terror.

Like, seriously, folks, make time for other kids' birthdays or no one is going to show up to your monster's spawn-day, all right?

It's for your kids, their social health, and the social health of our community, you lazy dipshits.

Tinuviel · May 21, 2019, 3:19 AM

@Ganymede said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

When I got an invitation to a birthday, my parents would bend their schedule around it.

Well, that was far easier when you could take a break from knapping and gathering roots and berries.

For serious, though, the not-RSVPing thing is a bugbear of mine too. I don't care if people can't attend, it is what it is, but if they don't say so then I get grumpy.

faraday · May 21, 2019, 3:24 AM

@Ganymede I feel your pain. In fact, me and another mom were ranting about this just this weekend when someone was unreasonably late to her son's party and someone else hadn't even bothered to rsvp one way or the other. My daughter once had a party where only one kid showed up, and she was crushed.

That said, I think a lot of families are seriously overscheduled, to the point where even one more thing is stressful. I know one family with a bunch of kids who are all "we just don't do parties" because they get invited to a gazillion of them and it just gets to be a burden. I also know a family who doesn't want to be the one arriving empty-handed or with a cheap gift because of financial burdens.

So I get that there are unique situations that may preclude someone from coming. But I totally agree -- Just freaking let us know one way or the other so we can set the kid's expectations and plan appropriately. Common courtesy isn't so common these days.

Ganymede · May 21, 2019, 3:30 AM

I guess I am prejudging others by their lack of a response, but --

-- yeah, I begin to wonder how many parents are just too fucking lazy to take their kids to parties. Like, do they think I enjoy going to my kids' parties? It's not like I particularly enjoy talking to other adults with whom I would only get a chance to interact because our kids happen to be in the same class.

I just make the fucking effort to take my kids to these shindigs no matter how stupid I might think the party activities are going to be.

In this case? We're bringing in a naturalist with some reptiles, bugs, and other small creatures.

Wretched · May 21, 2019, 3:39 AM

@Ganymede said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

In this case? We're bringing in a naturalist with some reptiles, bugs, and other small creatures.

Where is my invite?!

Ganymede · May 21, 2019, 3:49 AM

@Wretched said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

Where is my invite?!

Ghost · May 21, 2019, 5:58 AM

@Aria @Tinuviel You know, all fears aside, if someone offered my SO and I whatever quadruple luxury venti frappucino suite package for free? I'd take it. Hands down.

Clearly I'm that guy that would take a free, all-expenses-paid luxury cruise and then get eaten (und diiigested) by fucked up sea tentacle monsters in the South China Sea.

Tagging @surreality because that's a Deep Rising reference. Joey for the win. #GirlFromIpanema

surreality · May 21, 2019, 6:12 AM

@Ghost More amusingly, a friend of mine from MUing, about... 12 years ago? Got a cruise for two as part of a thank you from the company where she'd done some consulting.

I was the only good friend she knew who would appreciate the relevant culture, had zero set schedule whatsoever, and a complete comprehension of what the sock on the door meant (in a manner of speaking).

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd that's how I actually did get the quadruple luxury venti frappucino suite package for free. We had a personal suite butler, y'all, and they had a veritable fleet of superauto espresso machines in the lobby.

...and yes, I did in fact watch Deep Rising immediately before departing for the airport, on principle. #TeamJoey

Ghost · May 21, 2019, 6:22 AM

@surreality That's amazing and I'm jealous. I have hookups in all the wrong industries.

Doctors? Lawyers? Dentists? People with luxury vacation connections? People who know Bruno Mars?

Not a god-damned one.

I need to get my family and friends together with their kids in the other room and explain to them that since they have let me down (in terms of medical, legal, ans swag benefits) that their kids will need to focus entirely on these careers.

Though if you need a VHS copy of B-horror movies like DEATH FACTORY (or the low budget horror industry itself), need a colonoscopy, Satanic Temple gear, want copy/fax/printers, low-cost physical therapy plan options, and apparently a fuckton of MAGA gear? I'm apparently your fixer. I got the hookups.

Auspice · May 21, 2019, 6:25 AM

@Ghost

...so uh, Satanic Temple gear + MAGA gear.

I could do things with that.

Ghost · May 21, 2019, 6:27 AM

@Auspice You'd love my boy Wonka. He's way ahead of you. Dude does a lot of Photoshop and print stuff. His protest stuff is rad.

surreality · May 21, 2019, 7:12 AM

@Ghost I keep telling y'all, my life is weirder than fiction. Especially weird when you consider I don't... actually do much at all, let alone anything that'd normally bring such circumstances about.

Tinuviel · May 21, 2019, 7:15 AM

I dunno, man. If any of you invited me out for an all-expenses paid cruise, I would assume that I'd be murdered at some point...

Auspice · May 21, 2019, 7:28 AM

@Tinuviel said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

I dunno, man. If any of you invited me out for an all-expenses paid cruise, I would assume that I'd be murdered at some point...

There go my summer plans.

surreality · May 21, 2019, 9:58 AM

I got my 'almost murdered' out of the way early. Amazing how much that frees up the schedule.

Arkandel · May 21, 2019, 1:26 PM

@surreality said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

@Ghost More amusingly, a friend of mine from MUing, about... 12 years ago? Got a cruise for two as part of a thank you from the company where she'd done some consulting.

Unless you're getting invited by friends to more vacations than average, I know the one in question and she was pretty awesome. I wonder if she's still MU*ing it out somewhere.

mietze · May 21, 2019, 2:09 PM

I am amazed with how many times people do not respond to RSVPs! But I have found that evite and other built in reminder/email platforms seem to have a higher response rate. I think a lot of people get something in a kids backpack or mail and set it aside instead of responding right away and then forget it. my kids always loved mail so that wasnt so much an issue for us (and I need to respond to pause stuff right away or I will get sidetracked so now it is a habit for me). It is still distressing though in situations where you must have a headcount or you have an anxious kiddo.

Lisse24 · May 21, 2019, 2:17 PM

I feel so guilty. I'm terrible with responding to stuff.

I'm a very present-focused person. Whatever it is that I'm doing at the moment, I'm DOING it. So I have to automate processes and add things to my to-do list to remember that I need to do something that's not in my normal routine.

So, all too often, I forget to send in RSVPs and for all us non-reservers out there, lemme tell y'all, we feel terrible. We know it's awful for y'all, and we really, really wish we could get our shit together in this aspect of our lives and I truly, humbly apologize.

SG · May 21, 2019, 4:49 PM

@Ganymede said in Real World Peeves, Disgruntlement, and Irks.:

She's afraid that our boy isn't going to have as many invitees show up as our girl, and that this will scar him.

As a summer kid, this happened to me a lot. Because school was out, it was difficult to invite people I wasn't already just hanging out with, so my birthday parties were always one or two friends and a bunch of cousins. My siblings, who were born during the school year always had like 20 kids showing up to theirs. This is probably why I don't care about birthdays (beyond the chocolate raspberry cakes) as an adult.

surreality · May 21, 2019, 5:13 PM

@Arkandel Yup, that's the one. Sadly, she got out of the hobby shortly after due to general life changes, from what I recall -- buuuuuuuut, her everything took off like a rocket. I'm stupidly happy for her.