Being invited to children's Birthday Parties

I don't want to sound like a complete grouch but does anyone else find this annoying. Myself and DH don't have and don't want children and this is the second one we've been invited to in the last couple of weeks. The mother at the last one got a bit annoyed at us because we made our excuses and left after an hour and a half. But honestly, it's not really how I want to spend a Saturday afternoon. I know I sound like an awful person.

I think 90 mins at a kid's party is long enough- how long does a party last? (spot the Wollie with no kids!) We go to OH's niece's/nephew's parties if it's convenient for us- we've skipped loads of them. The kids don't care if we're there and the in-laws know we've other things to do at weekends, so they don't mind at all. If you don't want to go, you can always decline the invite.

Unfortunately my in-laws get the huff up if you decline an invite - apparently it's 'snubbing' them.

+ 1 on this! and you're not a grounch, i think a lot of people feel the same. I can never understand why parents feel that people with no kids would like to spend their time WITH kids! Itd be my worst nightmare! We're expecting our first, so obviously priorities will change somewhat, but i'd like to think that i won't become one of those parents who assume that people without kids would like to spend time with my little darling!!! I know when i was single, i'd have run a mile!! Also- christenings. Why do people invite non-family members to their baby's christening? I have no interest or want to go and waste a precious saturday/sunday afternoon attending a friends christening. (God i'm sounding like a right beeeaaatch, now...so i'll sign off!! )

God - I HATE this . I hate being invited to kids parties - when we were kids adults never came to parties. A kids party was just that a KIDS party. I can't understand why parents cannot see how bored adults get at kids parties. I never go, even hate going to my nieces' parties. We just sit there and watch her play on her bouncy castle and wonder why we were invited at all. My aunties and uncles never came to my birthdays, I just saw them at another time and they wished me happy birthday then and sometimes gave me a card or whatever. TBH I am sick of being invited to loads of things; like christenings, communions, confirmations. I really do have better ways to spend my weekends!

I've no kids either, but I go to my nieces/nephews parties and have been to some of my friends' kids parties too. Don't mind them really, I like seeing the child on their birthday and seeing them opening their present and enjoying themselves. Usually an hour and a half is fine though, it's normally over by then. What is the problem exactly OP? Why don't you want to go? Maybe the parents just want to include you? You've saidyou don't want children. Maybe the parents know this but don't want you to think that by NOT inviting you that they're making a statement on your choice? Like maybe they think if they don't invite you that YOU'LL think 'What's that about, just cos I don't want my own kids doesn't mean I wouldn't like to see Little Mary on h er big day'. Do you get me? How would you feel if they only invited their friends that had kids? Perhaps you'd be grand with it, but maybe the parents don't know that and just want to include you? Maybe they see you as a close friend and want you there on a day that's special to them too? I don't think it's about anyone inflicting their 'little darlings' on people - I think it's as simple as they're having a celebration, it's something important to them, a big part of their life and they want to include you. Like any other social occassion though - if you don't want to go, then just say no. If I had a party for my (as yet unborn) kid and a friend came for an hour and a half, I'd be delighted. On the Christening thing - if I'm lucky enough to have kids, it'll be a small event, but I will be inviting friends. Theese are special people in my life, they've been with me through thick and thin, at everything special in my life - my 21st, when I got my first job, my wedding...why woudln't I invite them to a ceremony welcoming my child into the world? I'd really want them to be there to celebrate with me. To me, my friends ARE family.

Eh, why on earth would a parent invite adults with no kids to a child's birthday party? I've never done that for 9 parties. It's bad enough I have to be there listening to 15 kids screaming and driving me batty but why on earth would I want to inflict that on other adults who are not parents staying to keep an eye on their own kid? I'll never understand some people.

This wrecks my head. Ditto being asked to christenings. We were asked to one with a note basically asking for cash for an account for the child. I want kids, I've worked with them but i don't want to hang out with a gang of two year olds, oohing and aahing over them. We usually try to say no, but some parents seem to take it personally that we don't want to hang out with kids on a Saturday afternoon.

For the kids Birthday Party - we have a joint one for our 2 kids - we invite their own friends with a 2 hour time limit on it (some of these parents will stay too), our friends who have kids and live nearby with no limit and DS's godparents who are DH's brother and my sister both of whom are single and have no kids. That's it. We also say to BIL and my sis that if they would prefer to skip the bit when all the kids are there and come later when there are only ourselves and a few stragglers of our own friends that's fine too. Christenings are different I think - what we did for both of ours was invite family, 2 couples who are mutual friends of ours and 2 of our own close friends each - my close friends on both occasions did not have kids yet. Both came and were happy to do so.

I'd invite people with no kids but would totally understand if they said no - tbh I'm inviting in case they get upset they weren't invited, of which I'm sure there are many people like that too. Now we've only had one party for dd1's first birthday and it was nice to see my friends - but wasn't really a kids party in the sense there were only two kids there! I doubt I'd invite people to proper kids party with games etc, although there's one I could think of that I'd invite purely to hit the wine with once the kids got out of control