'Cruel' dad throws five-year-old son a birthday party that he can't even attend

19 October 2023 , 13:52

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They're considering having the party without him (stock photo) (Image: Getty Images/Westend61)

We all love birthdays, but none quite so much as children, as there's usually a cake and a party involved so it's understandable that a little one would be gutted if their birthday celebration got cancelled.

This is the situation one child is in, as he's just caught chickenpox right before his fifth birthday party. The family had planned, booked, and paid for a party at a soft play area and a number of children have confirmed they're going to be attending, but now their son is too sick to go.

The mum has turned to the internet to ask fellow parents what they think they should do, as her husband suggested they go ahead with the party without their child.

Writing on Mumsnet, she said: "My [son] has just started with chickenpox, his 5th birthday party is on Saturday, all booked and paid for as of yesterday when they called me to confirm numbers. I can't believe the timing of this! I said to my [husband] this morning that we'll need to cancel and let parents know. He suggested we still have the party (it's soft play) but without [son]. Surely this is totally unfair on him? He's been looking forward to this party for weeks.

"I'm so gutted for him. [Husband's] logic is that we've already paid the balance and other than doing the cake and candles, we should still go ahead and his friends can enjoy soft play & the food without him, this makes me really sad though, and what if his friends mention it when he's back at school? That they went to his party without him. What would you do?"

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People were quick to agree with the mum that it would be cruel to have the party without the birthday boy, branding it a "ridiculously mean" thing to do. Instead, they suggested speaking to the venue to see if they could just change the date. One person replied: "Have you called the venue to let them know the situation? They may be able to push it later to when he's feeling better."

Another wrote: "Cancel the party. I can understand his logic but no, that still sucks, [son] will be gutted enough, having the party anyway will rub salt into the wounds." While a different user commented: "Surely you contact the venue and ask to change the date At 5 you cannot have his party without him, that would be beyond awful. Better to cancel and lose the money if there's no other option. Poor kid."

What would you do? Let us know in the comments below.

Courtney Pochin