Rules are meant to be broken. Traditions can get a bit murkier. Traditions are typically around because they are tried-and-true ways of doing things. It can be fun, though, to do the unexpected and turn things on their heads. This is just what one Australian woman decided to do when attending a 1-year-old’s birthday party.
Podcast host Phoebe Parsons was invited to the birthday party of a friend’s 1-year-old. She decided to break tradition and not get the child a gift. Instead, she opted to give the parents of the child a bottle of champagne. They had, after all, kept a tiny human alive for a year and deserved a reward.
Phoebe posted on social media to get other people's opinions on her bold move. She took to TikTok to ask if this was fair. She wanted to make sure she was doing the right thing.
Phoebe said, “I would really love to know other peoples' thoughts on this. I’m on my way to a first birthday party, and I actually got the parents a bottle of champagne instead of the child.”
Phoebe clarifies that she has already given the child multiple gifts. She does not want anyone thinking she is coldhearted. She says, “So in the child's lifetime so far (he's 12 months old), I've gotten him a baby shower present and a being born present.”
She wanted to focus her love on the parents. Being new parents is no joke, and she wanted to celebrate that. She explained, “I only thought it was fair to give the parents a present to celebrate the first year they've survived as parents.”
Phoebe also makes the valid point that the child will not remember this birthday in the long run anyway. She also says there are 50 other people attending who will most likely give the baby presents. Having one less present will not be a big deal.
The internet can always be counted on to give its opinions. The majority of people sided with Phoebe. One user commented, “I was gifted a bottle of scotch for my only boys’ 1st birthday apparently I was going to need it for the days to come great idea!”
Another user agreed and pointed out an interesting fact: “First bdays are for the parents to celebrate the first year of parent hood .”
This user emphatically agrees with Phoebe: “Hell yes, it was probably one of the most challenging years of their life, they deserve a treat! .”
There were some people who disagreed with Phoebe’s decision. They believed that while the bottle of champagne was a good idea, it should be done in addition to a gift for the child. “Yes, BUT! Only in addition to a gift for the child. Or a bottle when the baby is born is more appropriate,” stated one commenter.
Another user said, “If I wasn’t invited or couldn’t go to the baby shower then yes a present for the first. If I attended both just one baby present.”
While there was division over whether or not to give the tiny human a gift, most agree that it is a nice gesture to acknowledge the parents for their first year of parenting. It’s an often overlooked step that they will definitely appreciate. Parenting, after all, is an important and sometimes thankless job.
