A mum has been left heartbroken after nobody turned up to her son's surprise birthday party despite her inviting every child in his class. She explained how she wanted to throw her 11-year-old son a special birthday party after uprooting his life to move state for a new job - but she didn't expect it to end in heartache.
The woman painstakingly planned a Hawaiian-themed party - and secretly invited all of the students in his class at school to celebrate with him. She said: "We moved to another state for a job and enrolled our son midyear in the fifth-grade. We knew it would be challenging for any kid to start at a new school, but to start midyear is even harder. Most of the kids in his grade have known each other for years.
"They accepted him, have playdates with him and got invited to birthday parties but they have not bonded with him the way they have bonded with each other.
"It makes sense that you are not going to be as close to a new kid as you are to someone who you've been best friends with since pre-k."
But despite this, she expected them to still make the effort to come to his birthday party, especially as they knew there'd be music, games and cake waiting for them.
"I wanted to throw a surprise party and emailed all the parents of the class," she added on Reddit.
"About half of his class accepted, but they brought him birthday gifts to school on Thursday which was weird.
"On Friday, all of the parents who accepted the invite said they would not be coming - I was baffled."
She later found out another child in her son's class was having a sleep over party on the same day - and all of his classmates wanted to go there instead.
But unfortunately for her son, he wasn't invited.
She said: "The other kids decided to do the sleepover because they were 'better friends' with the other kid. The other parents knew it was f***ed up but that thought that by giving him birthday gifts at school would make it OK.
"I lied to my son that there was a scheduling conflict and that his friends had already made a commitment to another party and it would be wrong of them to break it to go to another party.
"He asked if he could do the sleepover instead and I said no because we wanted to spend his birthday with him - another lie as he wasn't invited.
"I feel like such an a***hole but I don't want my kid going to school on Monday and knowing that he is an outcast."
While most users argued his classmates could have attended both parties since they were happening at different times, others urged the mum to "prepare" her son for Monday when "everyone will be taking about the sleepover".
One user said: "I don't get why the other parents could not have brought their kids to your party for an hour or so at least and then taken them to the sleepover.
"Those parents are nasty people and they are teaching their kids that it is OK to be nasty too."
Another user added: "Prepare him for impact on Monday. The kids will tell him the truth. That's a fact."
A third user said: "Bad form from the parents that stood you up. Our daughter isn't a social magnet, so we do a theme park or similar and 'a couple of close friends'.
"It's meant no awkward empty parties, and those friends really appreciate a grand day out, building better friendships from it with her."
Do you have a story to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
