'If I can't be at the birthday party, my son will not be attending'

Mum Liv thinks it's a 'red flag' when invites say 'kids-only'. Would you feel comfortable with this?

A mum on TikTok has gone viral for discussing a common dilemma for parents of primary-school-aged kids.

Liv, a concerned mother of two, expressed her reservations about her seven-year-old son going unaccompanied to a classmate's birthday party.

The invitation specified that the event was for 'kids only', which immediately raised red flags for her.

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Image: TikTok

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"My seven-year-old is not getting dropped off at someone's home that I don't know"

"He got an invitation from his classmate to attend his birthday party. I'm thinking, 'Great, we'll be attending.' I wanted to RSVP right away and just put it on my calendar. Well, as I'm reading the invitation, it states on there that it's kids only and it's drop off," the SAHM said in the clip. 

"It's at someone's house. I don't know these parents. I don't know if there are actually going to be other adults besides this child's parents.

"My seven-year-old is not getting dropped off at someone's home that I don't know. If I can't be at this birthday party, unfortunately, my son will not be attending."

She then expresses her sadness about declining the invitation but says she's doing the right thing for her son and protecting him. 

Liv concluded her clip, saying, "It's unfortunate because it's this little boy's birthday party, but you really don't know what's going on at someone's home behind closed doors. And if I can't be there to protect my son, he will not be attending. Bye!"

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"Absolutely not"

Liv's stance resonated with many, who echoed her concerns in the comments.

"The 'kids only' made the decision for me. Absolutely not!" one parent replied. 

"My daughter is nine. I would NEVER drop my daughter off... you can't trust anyone," another parent agreed.

"My door is always open for the parents to stay, and I'm SHOCKED at the parents who have just dropped off and only met me once or not at all," a third added.

"Clingy"

Meanwhile, some people in the comment section thought she sounded like a 'helicopter parent'. 

"Seven is old enough for a drop-off party for classmates. You can make an effort to meet the parents and ask questions," someone wrote. 

A different viewer bluntly said: "Little kids have been going to people's birthday parties without clingy parents for decades."

In a follow-up comment, Liv said that she was only sent the invite a week beforehand, which didn't give her enough time to get to know the parents properly. 

Originally published as 'If I can't be at the birthday party, my son will not be attending'