Mum sparks huge debate as she asks guests not to bring gifts to her son’s birthday and asks for unique present instead
A MUM had sparked a huge debate online after suggesting her friends and family donate to her son’s college fund rather than buying him a gift.
The parent posted to Reddit to ask other parents their thoughts on her idea, dividing opinions.
Writing in the parenting feed under the username @u/motiv8_mee, she put: “My kid’s first birthday is coming up and we are planning to invite a lot of people.
“I sincerely do not want everyone attending to bring a toy, or even a gift at all, as we really have too many toys and plenty of clothing already.
“However I know that many people will bring something anyway (“I just had to get them something!”), so I wanted to put a guideline on the invitation.
“Something like: ‘Gifts are not expected, but if you would like to get XX a gift, they would love a new/used book or a cute outfit in 12 to 18-month sizes. (Please, no toys – they have plenty!)
“In lieu of a physical gift, contributions to their college fund are also appreciated’.
“We don’t need anyone to contribute and I do NOT want this to come off as us asking for money.
“The thought is just to give people another option for a gift if they feel the need to give one.
“My spouse thinks it’s tacky, I’m on the fence.”
The post caused quite a debate, gaining more than 137 comments and 66 votes in just nine hours.
Some Reddit users argued against her idea, with one writing: “Tacky, I think. Saying “no gifts but here’s their college fund” just implies to me that you’d prefer cash to a gift. Not that you genuinely don’t want anything.”
Others loved it, with one user adding: “I wish this wasn’t considered tacky. I think as a society we really need to reevaluate our priorities.
“I would gladly contribute to a college fund instead of buying a gift. It reduces waste and saves me a trip to the store with my two unruly toddlers. That’s a win-win in my book.”
Another shared how they got round the problem, commenting: “I did something called a $5 party, where in lieu of every bringing gifts and the stress of figuring out what a specific kid likes and worrying about it if they felt comfortable to gift $5 so the kiddo can pick out something they really love.
“They get to pick, they aren’t overwhelmed with the amount of gifts, money isn’t wasted on something the kid doesn’t like or won’t play with and it’s cheaper because having a coupe bday parties a month adds up $$$.
“Everyone loved the idea and if they were comfortable, they gave $5 and my kids had an awesome experience in picking something out the next day.”