by A viral Instagram video from @ToluFrimpong with more than 1.5 million views has parents who talk about a surprising trend: guests ask to help pay for birthday parties for children. Some parents praised her honesty, while others were amazed that this practice is increasingly common.
“Let’s normalize birthday celebrations within our budget instead of passing on the costs to other parents. The costs of living touch us all. ‘
Her point? If you decide to throw a birthday party, you must pay the bill. And with inflation that makes everything, from groceries to gas, feeling like a luxury purchase, the idea of asking other parents to call in a party that is not even for their child, eyebrows is toking.
Wait … Parents count for birthday parties?!
Apparently, yes – at least for some families. Some parents now ask for coverage, ticket costs or even Venmo requests to help pay for extravagant birthday parties in inside trampoline parks, zoos or cafés.
A commentator, @moneysavvymumukWas floor:
“Wait … what!? Is this one thing? Are you serious ?? I am literally shocked to the core.”
Another, @Faithpeace1.0could not believe the financial burden:
“Pay for access and then buy a gift?! ?? That’s a sturdy no. “
It is one thing to ask guests to bring their own food to a barbecue (reasonable). It is another to throw a party at an expensive location and then to invoice the parents who show up.
Related: ‘No plastic, no noise, no color’: Mom’s Viral Birthday Party Rules Spark Backlash Online
The rising costs of children’s parties
Let’s really be – Kids’s birthday parties can quickly become expensive.
• Indoor play areas? $ 300- $ 500 for a two-hour rent.
• Bowling Steegjes? $ 20+ per child, excluding food.
• Trampoline parks? Some costs per child, plus require exemptions, extra for socks and extra costs for Arcade tokens.
As children get older, their birthday expectations often grow, and some parents feel the pressure. One commentator, @ruti18, be on it: “Those jumping places are expensive. And as children get older, do their taste too. I bought packages and said that you are taking your own money for extras. KID equivalent to Byob. “
Of course, can be able to increase festive costs, but should the answer really be to pass that account to other parents?
The case to keep birthdays easy
There is a big difference between split costs (such as a group of families plan a shared event) and guests ask to pay the special day of your child.
Tolu’s attitude is simple: stay within your budget. Some years she has thrown big parties with 100+ guests, and other years it was a movie evening and a homemade cake. The key? It has always been her costs.
Many parents in the comments agree – Kid parties do not have to be extravagant to be memorable. The nostalgia of birthday parties in the back garden, homemade treasure hunts and do-it-yourself guests is real, and they cost much less than the exaggerated, Instagram-worthy bashen of today.
I get it. I am currently planning my child’s first birthday party, and although I know he will not have any memories of this, we want to celebrate with our friends and family. We save the costs by having it at our home, but we have rented a party bus to play space for the rest of the children, so we are cared for, so we don’t have to worry about food and drink, and even scanned by Etsy for those cute cupcake toppers with our small face on it.
It has already snowed a bit more than we originally expected, but the collecting of everyone to celebrate this year of our lives will also be fun for us – and hopefully worth the money for the memories. And no, I don’t count on anyone and gifts are not even expected.
Related: Tiktok Mom’s controversial view of birthday parties has been lifted eyebrows
So … are we paying to party in 2025?
Tolu jokes that after sharing her thoughts next year she will receive fewer birthday invitations – but if it means that Venmo requests for each party are avoided that her child is attending, she thinks it is good.
What do you think? Should parents pay the bill for birthday parties, or is it fair to ask guests to contribute? Let’s discuss.
