Child at partyYou cannot invite everyone to a birthday party. Money, space or the chosen activity generally dictate how many children you can invite. Do you agree?  I have done enough of them to know that some parties you can invite the whole class to but when you plan something more expensive only a few close friends are invited. There will be some children who are not being invited to parties in this case.

It can be hard to choose when it comes to the invites but if you asked your child who their closest friends are, I am sure they could name them on one hand. Voila! One invite list. I wish it always worked like that but it doesn’t. Sometimes children are not invited to friends birthday parties when the rest of their peer group are and it can be difficult to make them understand that they aren’t invited without having a reason why. It can also make them feel awkward in the playground as sometimes the other children will be talking about the forthcoming party or sharing the aftermath.

It can be tough for us as parents too. Why weren’t they invited? Is my child not as friendly with their friendship group as I thought they were? Did they do something wrong? Is it my fault? Crazy isn’t it?

Helping Your Child Deal With Not Being Invited

1. We can encourage our child to keep on being friends with their group of friends.

2. When it is their birthday party they should still invite the child.

3. Not dissect the nitty gritty of the lack of invite.

4. Think of the reasons why they may not have been invited. Perhaps it was a certain type of party such as football and you child is not into football. If so, point this out to your child.

5. Try not to show your disappointment to your child. We may be hurt but we have to deal with that.

6. Do something nice on the day of the missed party.

7. If your child does not want to hear about the party they can find someone else to play with.

What have you done to help cheer your child up when they’ve missed a party?

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(Photo Credit: Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)