Want to come to my twin boys’ birthday party? That’ll be £6
IT wouldn’t be the first time a child’s birthday party has led to a row.
But in this case it is the parents who are squabbling – over demands for a £6 fee for their sons and daughters to attend.
Ruma Ali, 29, asked other parents to pay towards the celebration for her twin boys at an indoor play centre.
She said she wanted to invite all 60 of the boys’ classmates to ensure no one felt left out.
The single mother, a former council worker who is studying for a degree, said she could not afford to pay for everyone so asked for £6 per child.
But she was ‘shocked’ after another parent challenged her request in a message posted anonymously on a community Facebook page.
It read: ‘My four-year-old has been invited to a classmate’s fifth birthday party. The said parent has hired Fun Valley and stipulated a payment of £6 per child... I have never been asked to pay for attending a party. Is this the done thing nowadays?’
The party to celebrate the fifth birthday of Miss Ali’s boys, Shiyan and Kiyan, is set to be held on a Sunday at the Fun Valley indoor play centre near the family’s home in Leicester.
The basic charge for birthday parties at the venue is £10.99 per child at the weekend – meaning the cost for 60 children would be at around £660.
Even with the parents subsidising the cost, Miss Ali expects the bill to be around £500 after extras such as goody bags and a cake are included.
Responding to the post, she wrote: ‘I’m shocked to see this post on Facebook, my number was on the invite and you could have messaged me to ask about it.’
She added: ‘I thought I don’t want to pick and choose which friends can come. I thought invite the whole class and then nobody’s upset. I thought they [parents] would understand [the charge].’ Miss Ali said that if any parent could not afford the £6 she would have understood and would still want their child to attend.
‘Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but this was the best way for me,’ she added.
Several parents defended her on the original Facebook post.
One wrote: ‘If you don’t want to, or can’t afford to pay the £6, then just don’t go!’
But others said she should have organised a smaller party or held it somewhere free.
One posted: ‘None of my parties growing up were extravagant affairs. They were always at the birthday child’s house and we played silly games… Too much emphasis is spent on keeping up with everyone and we are spoiling our kids.’
Birthday party packages at Fun Valley include 75 minutes of play time, 45 minutes use of a ‘private party zone’, hot food, squash and invitations.
Children are also entertained by an appearance from Disney characters.
‘We are spoiling our kids’