Birthday Parties with Multiples

Birthday’s create an unusual dilemma for multiples when one but not both/all are invited to a party.

We have had lots of birthday parties last year and this year where both of my twins Matthew and Lauren were invited to the party. I was often amazed when I rang up to rsvp for both of them that I’d often get a long pause on the other end of the phone which was followed up at the party by the parents saying “are they twins?” or “I didn’t know they were twins!”.

Recently though I had the instance where Matthew was invited to a birthday party for a boy from kindy but Lauren wasn’t. They both came home so excited that they’d been invited to a party but when I looked at the invitation it was only for Matthew. I wondered how I was going to explain this to Lauren. I tried but anyone who was tried to explain anything to a 4 ½ year old will know it can be quite a negotiation. When I explained that only Matthew was invited and perhaps it was a party for boys she replied with “But he said I could come!”

How could I argue with that! Kid’s do have a habit of inviting everyone to their party, my two even wanted their swimming teacher to come to their party last year. I wondered how I was going to approach this.
I didn’t want to rsvp and force them to invite Lauren. I am always so conscious that Matthew and Lauren are not a package deal. Most of the time, I try to focus on their individuality and always struggle to try and get some one on one time. How could I now turn around and treat them like a package. Lauren was so upset though, it was like she was facing social rejection at such a young age (a bit dramatic I know)!!

Anyway, when I did ring up to rsvp, after I had said Matthew would love to come the party the mother asked if Lauren would also be able to come.

What a relief! That being said we weren’t even given a weeks notice and that meant I now had to go shopping for not one but two presents. Yes that is the other dilemma …. the presents. I have now adopted a policy that family friends’ children get one present from the family and children from kindy and childcare get two presents, one from Matthew and one from Lauren. Hang on though what about our good friends that we’ve met through the two plus us group? On that logic we could end up taking 4 presents ….. a present for each of the other twins from each of my twins. Agghh!!!

That’s just going to other children’s parties. Then there are the questions about what to do for their party. Matthew and Lauren are turning 5 in November and will still have a combined party. I can’t quite fathom 2 whole parties yet. At this stage luckily most of their friends are the same. I’m not sure how many will be coming though when I start to think about the list it sounds a little overwhelming. Just adding up my 3 closest friends with twins (all also turning 5 in November!!) that’s 8 children, plus there’s kindy, childcare and family friends. Oh well, I still look forward to it and make sure every year they have a separate birthday cake each.