You’ll probably never go to more birthday parties than you will when you’re in grade school. There’s a time in a person’s single-digit lift when everyone invites everyone’s classmates to every birthday party, and suddenly you’ve celebrated 12 different 8-year-olds in the last 2 months. It’s a critical mass of birthdays. Kids usually love it, but it can be exhausting for parents. They have to haul their kids from place to place, make forced small talk with the other parents, and manage their kid’s inevitable sugar rush, not to mention the money spent on presents. Even if you’re buying something small for each child, it can really add up over time. 

That’s why some parents benevolently push for no-gift parties, as a mercy to everyone. But even in those cases, things can still get awkward. Like in this instance from Reddit where a no-gift party turned into some tough moments for the parents. Read on for details.