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Embracing parenthood and raising a child the right way is not a piece of cake. A dad recently took to the popular Q&A platform Reddit to share his discomfort after discovering the awkward truth behind his 5-year-old son’s two birthday invitations. The father explained that his son was invited to a birthday party for a teammate from his basketball team. Although the boys weren’t close friends, he saw it as a good chance for his son to socialize more and accepted the invitation. A few days later, however, another invitation arrived, for a child with the same first name. With no last name listed, the dad was initially confused. As per PEOPLE, “We learned from them that the parents are going through what sounds like a very messy divorce, and the first invite was from the mom and the second invite was from the dad,” OP ( original poster) wrote. Deceptive Social Media World VS Reality!! “People compare their real life moments to others’ highlight & reels’ which are often not close to reality. Which can lead to inferior complexity, depression, anxiety and many other social & domestic problems.” False expectations: “The… pic.twitter.com/bkeCFKk7vU — Taimoor Chaudhary (@Taimoorch433) November 2, 2024 While the second party was less convenient for their schedule, the dad said his family could still attend. Still, he felt uneasy about choosing between the two or showing up to both. “It just feels awkward,” he wrote, adding that his son barely knows the boy and he wasn’t sure if they’d need to bring two gifts. Users under his post suggested that he could pick one party to attend and make things simple for everyone. Another encouraged attending both parties, noting that the child might need extra support during a difficult time. “If you can make it, go to both — the kid’s probably going through a lot, and some extra fun can only help.” A third person disagreed, saying, “No kid needs two birthday parties. You already agreed to the first one — just go to that and decline the second.” While the dad did not share which he chose to go to, the situation showed the dilemma many parents go through in such situations. Moreover, with the presence of social media and a constant need for “who can do it better,” simple personal events like birthday parties, weddings, and anniversaries have become a source of stress for many couples and parents. This generational shift has caused couples to rift apart and children to develop either an inferiority complex or end up being spoiled brats. Moonpig’s survey of 1,000 UK parents with children aged 0–3 found that 43% felt they competed with other parents to host the most impressive birthday party, with nearly 1 in 2 (49%) admitting the bash was more for the people than the child. A study found that parents in the United Kingdom are spending an average of £248 on their child’s birthday. In addition, 50% also admitted to going over their set budget for it. Social media has completely undermined the current generation’s ability to find true happiness. We’re constantly comparing ourselves to others, believing they have it better, which makes us feel like what we have isn’t good enough. — Nandi 🤍💜🤍 (@pallnandi) September 16, 2024 Nearly one third (30%) of parents said they had hired a party planner, and parents of three-year-olds said that they felt the most pressure to both host and participate in grand parties as a way for their children to make friends and be a part of the social circle. Meanwhile, for young adults, the showoff culture is related to staying more relevant on social media sites like Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. An expensive cake, expensive outfits and branded places to chill in are directly proportional to showing high-class standards, attracting better men for romance and so on. Just had my son’s birthday party. He invited everyone in his class, his church class, teachers, piano teacher, even their siblings, everyone. I told him most probably wouldn’t come because it’s a summer party. He said he didn’t care, he just wanted to show that when you have a… pic.twitter.com/hff1UIyqFa — 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗠𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 (@txsalth2o) June 28, 2024 While extravagant lifestyles may have become the new normal in today’s time, people ( especially parents) must not forget that the real class lies in working towards building a strong character in their child with kind values for people around them. We are not saying one must not teach their child to seek pleasure from material things; of course, they should, money can and always will buy happiness and provide a comfortable life. The real key will always be in balancing both sides with grace and dignity.
