Oh hi,

Today I am coming to you in a blissed out state, midway through our holiday that will be half spent in tropical climbs and the remainder will be hanging with family we rarely get to see as they live far away.

Now, the opposite to feeling blissed out on holidays is feeling frantic and stressed about a party you are planning. One of the things you might be worried about when party planning is who to invite. Guest list pressure is a real thing and it can come from many places...

If you're planning a wedding for example, guest list pressure might come from your family, particularly your parents. When it comes to weddings, the parents of the bride and groom might feel entitled to have a say in who is on the guest list. You might feel pressured to invite "family friends" or great Aunt Ethel who always drinks too much or Uncle Charlie who always leers at every woman in the vicinity. Ugh.

When planning a party for your kiddo, you might feel pressured to invite the whole class, for fear of someone feeling left out. Or that things will be awkward with other parents if you don't invite the whole class, including that one kid who is always mean to your kid.

The thing is, there is no unwritten rule that says you must invite every kid in the class, or all the kids on the footy team or everyone from the local Scouts or Guides group. Nope, nope, nope. This party is about the person being celebrated. You absolutely do not need to invite ANYONE to the party that makes your child (or you!) feel uncomfortable. Why are you having a party? To bring joy, love and connection to the person you are celebrating.

Inviting certain guests because you feel you "should" or you "have to" won't be bringing the joy, the love or the connection...

And you know the other bonus about NOT inviting all the people? It's better for the environment! Truly, less guests equals less of everything needed for the party.

So, next time you're feeling the pressure of inviting more people to a party than you want to, remember, will inviting this person bring MORE joy, love and connection, or....

I'll leave you to consider that!

Until next time,

Michelle

Print Quirks

"We can make a difference together, one party at a time."