Getting family right all of the time is difficult, to say the least. Even still, working with the family you have created rather than attempting to start over time and time again with strangers is something to consider, especially if there's a pattern of dating casually and becoming too invested in the wrong people repeatedly. The mother in this next story ruins her relationship with her kid after she refuses to attend her grandchild's first birthday party, all because her kid did not want her casual boyfriend and two teenage children in attendance. There's nothing wrong with wanting to keep a child's first birthday party intimate and close family-only, especially given a family member's faulty track record regarding romantic relationships.
You see this all the time with brides and grooms giving plus-ones to specific family members with steady, long-term partners, but not giving them to folks who have just become exclusive with their current partners. It's nothing against the new partner—they simply don't know them. As many commenters on Reddit say, "No is a complete sentence."
In my opinion, it's the parents' and baby's birthday party—and they have final say in who attends. If the baby's grandmother wants to be petty, it's no skin off their back—they aren't even sentient yet.
Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.
