Did a mum really ask for £50 presents for her son's birthday party?
While an invite doing the rounds on Facebook appears to be a spoof, it's actually not that far-fetched...
How much do you spend on birthday presents for your children's friends? A couple of quid? A tenner for a close friend? Or is it more?
Most mums at the MFM office agree that it should just be a token gift and that there shouldn't be any pressure to spend a lot of money.
But there often is pressure. And now an invite to a 7-year-old's birthday party from a mum in Essex has gone viral - because the invite outrageously demands a minimum spend of £50 on presents.
According to Southend News Network, the mum handed out the Minion-themed party invitations at the gates of her son's primary school.
The bottom of the invitation reads: "Please note: For Alfie's birthday gifts, we have imposed a £50 minimum spend – thanks for your understanding."
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A classmate's mum was reported as saying her son wouldn't attend the party until the minimum spend was revoked.
"There are 36 kids in the class, and all of them have been invited to the party – as you can imagine there are so many parties each year that it is impossible to buy really expensive gifts every time!
"That greedy b***h will be the one explaining to her poor little boy when nobody turns up to his party."
The mum apparently replied, "I am tired of buying nice presents for all of Alfie’s friends and then getting gifts in return that one would expect to uncover in a Happy Meal!"
"I don’t think that a £50 minimum gift value is unreasonable, and there are some real bargains to be had out there. Also, I think that the parents can use this as an opportunity to take their kids to the shops and teach them all about the value of money and getting a bargain."
It turns out the story is fake and is posted on a spoof news website.
But as we know, situations like this DO happen. Just last February, Myleene Klass shared a group email from two school mums asking for a £10 birthday present for their daughters. The request for the £10 donations was pretty brazen, and caused Myleene to label it #bonkers. Another parent charged a child for not turning up to a party.
So how much is the right amount?
Photos: Southend News Network and Shutterstock
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