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'Only One Of My Twins Was Invited To A Kid's Birthday Party. WTF?!'

'Only One Of My Twins Was Invited To A Kid's Birthday Party. WTF?!'
A parent has gone on an enraged rant after one of their children was invited to a classmate’s birthday party – but their twin sister wasn’t.“I know the birthday kid decides whom they invite. I know you’re not entitled to an invitation. But wtf is going on with inviting only one twin back when both of them have invited your kid to their own birthday party?!” asked the parent on Reddit.They explained that their four-year-old twins had recently had a joint birthday party at an indoor playground.Then, at daycare drop-off, their son found a birthday invitation on his shelf from one of the kids who had been at their party. But their daughter didn’t. “The puzzled look on her face broke my heart,” they added. The parent said they know their daughter isn’t entitled to an invitation, but they were still clearly very annoyed about it – “if you really can’t convince your kid to invite her ... do me a favour and don’t invite her twin either,” they wrote, adding that the whole situation “sucks”.Is it ever OK to invite one twin – and not the other – to a birthday party?They won’t be the first twin to not get invited to a party (and they won’t be the last). Plenty of commenters noted that it’s a “tough” situation to be in, especially for the left out twin, but it’s also “part and parcel” of twin life. “It is tough on us to help our kids navigate disappointment but honestly it is so important,” said one respondent. Some suggested it was “rude” not to invite both twins. “My twins get different invites for different friends, but at age 4, both in the same preschool and playing with the same kids, that’s a bit rough,” said one commenter. “Maybe this changes with culture between different places, but it would be pretty rude here.”According to etiquette expert Jo Hayes, this is a normal part of twin life – “they are two individual children, and have/will have individual friends”. This means invites will occasionally be extended to one twin and not the other.“While it’s tough on your daughter (and yourself, no doubt), learning how to navigate disappointment/situations like this is a valuable life skill,” she added.If you look at it from the perspective of other parents who are hosting children’s birthday parties, the expert noted that “often children are unable to invite the entire class to a party, so will choose to invite only one gender”.“This is a fairly ‘easy’ way to limit numbers, without causing great offence to those who are not invited,” she said. It’s also important to remember that children don’t have to invite everyone to their party – “and while we do well to encourage our children to be kind and charitable, if they genuinely don’t want a certain child at their party, they should be allowed to not invite them,” added the expert. Hayes said it can form a teachable moment. “Clearly explain to them that other children may not always invite both twins to their parties, and that’s OK,” she said.“Explain, as much as possible to a four year old, that we can choose not to get mad or sad, but to make the most of it. We’ll do some other fun thing, instead.”You could go to the park, or get an ice cream, or do something else that makes the other twin feel special. “And, I would go a step further to encourage them to wish the birthday boy a happy birthday – include her name on the birthday card, or give him a separate card from her,” said Hayes.“Focus on being kind, even if it feels like others are unkind to us (in this case, I would say unintentionally). Choose not to be mad or sad – but to focus on your blessings and create your own joy.”Related...When Is It Rude To Ban (Or Bring) Kids As Guests?I'm A Parenting Coach – If Kids Are Rude, Try This 2-Word ResponseTherapists Swear By This Parenting Trick For 'Rude' Or 'Angry' Kids

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