Party poopers and playground politics

So, yesterday saw the latest development in playground politics. In case this story passed you by, let me quickly fill you in so we’re both on the same page.

The parents of a five-year-old boy were issued with an invoice for the tidy sum of £15.95 because their son was a no-show at the latest birthday bash.

(Honestly, the calendar of a high-profile socialite would pale in comparison to that of a five-year-old today. Between play dates, birthday parties and after-school activities, is it any wonder our over-worked tots feel the need to bow out every now and again?)
 
Anyway, back to the invoice. Shocking, right?

Wrong.

While I respect little Alex Nash's decision to sit the shindig out and take some downtime with his grandparents, I also empathise with the mother who felt she should be reimbursed for one guest’s non-attendance.

While we collectively lament the credit crunch, bemoan our lack of disposable income and curse the day we splashed out on a holiday shack that’s falling into the sea instead of investing in a pension plan, we balk when we’re faced with someone else’s financial scruples.

Most of us who read the story probably thought ‘Has she no shame?’, ‘It’s only sixteen quid!’ or ‘Couldn’t she have just let it go?”, but I have to ask, why should she? She paid for that child’s place and while he shot the breeze with granny, she watched the guts of twenty pounds go to waste.

Do we know this parent’s financial situation? Do we know the ski centre’s policy on no-shows? Do we know if she worried over whether she could actually afford the party her child requested? Are any of us really in a position to judge her for requesting money to which she is entitled?

Let’s assume you’re with me so far. (Go team! I knew I liked you.)  Yes, she does deserve to be reimbursed, but now you’re wondering about her approach. Did she have to go about it in such a formal manner? Couldn’t she have just mentioned it to Alex’s parents without the threatening undertone that issuing an invoice suggests? Why couldn’t she have picked up the phone and made a joke of the issue?

Well, maybe she was ashamed. Maybe her skin crawled when her partner suggested approaching Alex’s parents for the money she lost out on as a result of his non-attendance. Maybe she thought having a teacher slip the invoice in to the child’s schoolbag was the most discreet way to deal with the situation. And maybe the woman never envisioned her approach to personal finances would be splashed all over the internet, subject to ridicule and scrutiny from thousands.

While the majority of us expressed incredulity at the story, did any of us actually spare a thought for the mum at the centre of the drama? Whether she lights candles with fifty pound notes or can’t make ends meet from one end of the week to the other is actually beside the point. This story stands for all the parents out there who have felt the pinch, spoken up and were stunned to discover that mentioning you might need that tenner back was akin to mentioning you might streak through church next Sunday. Disbelief, discomfort and complete disdain.

Here’s the bottom line; that woman deserves her £15.95. I hope the Nash family give it to her and splash out on a dayplanner for Alex in the meantime.

Best for all concerned, right?