Mum 'fuming' after daughter's friend returns her party bag with note shaming the contents
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Children's birthday parties can be expensive.
The venue, food, decorations and entertainment all add up, and that's before you even started buying presents for the birthday boy or girl.
So when one mum's daughter said she just wanted a sleepover at home with a few pals for her 11th birthday, she was over the moon.
She ended up only spending £50 on pizza, sweets, a film, birthday cake and nail varnish painting essentials, so she decided to spend a bit extra on the party bags.
(Image: iStockphoto)
Her daughter invited four friends, and she sent each home with a gift bag containing pens, a notebook with the girl's initials on, a little nail varnish set, a book, a pair of novelty socks, sweets and a piece of birthday cake.
She said: "The bags cost £12.50 each so about £50 in total but given the party was cheap in comparison to previous years, with soft play, hall hire, pass the parcel etc, and my daughter and I had fun making them up I wasn't bothered."
However when her daughter came home from school a few days later she was carrying one of bags and a note from her friend's mum.
The other mum was not happy with the contents of the bag, and told her daughter to return it with a note from her explaining why she didn't want it.
"The letter basically says the bag was too generous as a party bag and her daughter was returning it as she (the mum) couldn't let her accept it.
(Image: iStockphoto)
"My daughter is really embarrassed as her friend told her that her mum says I try too hard.
"I'm mortified but also livid- I don't do the school run so only know this mum to say hello to when dropping kids off at hobbies/parties/play dates etc - I definitely don't want to impress her or anyone else."
She doesn't know how to handle the situation so posted on the parenting website Mumsnet to see what other people thought.
And other parents are equally outraged about what happened.
One woman wrote: "That is so unbelievably rude of her. Omg. My jaw literally dropped."
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Another added: "That is really sad. You put all that effort in. I think she was really rude. I’m not sure the best way to approach it. You've done nothing wrong except make an effort and been nice."
A mum suggested: "I'd send them back with a note saying "I'm sorry you thought this was over the top but it was a gift and it seems a shame and rather over the top to deprive your DC of the pleasure it might give her. We had such fun making them, too.""
However some parents said the party bag was definitely too generous.
One wrote: "I would feel absolutely mortified to receive a party bag that generous, presents were usually £5-£7, so to receive a party bag in return of twice that value would make me feel extremely uncomfortable. I would not have returned it - how ungracious, but would have probably avoided you for some time after. Your generous gesture may have made people uncomfortable with their value of gift choice."
Another said: "I would have found the bags overgenerous, if I'm completely honest."