Whether it’s a dinner date, a huge party, or just a day to yourself, taking a moment to celebrate your birthday can be nice, arguably even more so when the people you love organize something for you.
For this redditor, her 30th didn’t end up being as nice as she probably had hoped for when her sister-in-law offered to host her a birthday party. Upon arriving, the woman noticed that something was off, and it didn’t take long for her to realize that it was actually a Father’s Day celebration. Not only that, she was expected to help host the party, too. Scroll down to find the full story below.
A birthday party is usually a fun celebration
Image credits: lil artsy / pexels (not the actual photo)
However, for this woman, her 30th birthday party was probably one she wouldn’t remember that fondly
Image credits: Rawpixel / envato (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Liza Summer / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Due_Combination_2175
Birthdays can evoke all sorts of feelings
Despite often entailing parties and good times, birthdays can evoke mixed emotions; and not only because of the awkwardness as you stand there not knowing what to do when others are singing the Happy Birthday song.
A YouGov poll found that the majority of people in the US feel positive on their birthdays, as nearly half of them said they usually feel happy and close to a quarter say they’re usually excited on said day. A similar number of people—nearly one-in-four—admit feeling indifferent and calm on their birthdays, while as much as 11% find the celebration anxiety-inducing; some even feel angry.
Clearly, the range of emotions goes from Lily from How I Met Your Mother on her birthday (yelling “It’s my birthday!” the second the clock hits midnight, and “It’s still my birthday!” first thing in the morning) to what some refer to as birthday blues or birthday depression. While the latter isn’t officially recognized as a mental health disorder, according to a licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Ernesto Lira de la Rosa, it can be quite detrimental to some people’s emotional well-being, especially those with a history of mental health disorders.
“For some, it could be tied to previous negative experiences with birthdays. Others may reflect on their lives and may not feel they are where they wanted to be by that specific age,” Dr. Lira de la Rosa told VeryWell Mind. “For others, birthdays can come during times when they are going through something difficult.”
People celebrate their birthdays in different ways, from giving thanks for being alive to going hiking and partying with friends
Image credits: Morgan Lane / unsplash (not the actual photo)
The aforementioned YouGov poll found that nearly half of people seemingly feel neutral about their birthdays, but their views on the day tend to differ slightly with age. Data shows that adults between 30 and 44 years of age seem to feel the most positively about it, while those who dislike or even hate it the most are 18 to 29-year-olds, which might come as a surprise knowing that young adults often look forward to turning 18, 20, or 21.
Another thing that tends to differ is the way people celebrate the special day. According to said poll, the majority of Americans—54%, to be exact—take time every year to give thanks for being alive and spend time with their families (50%). Roughly four-in-ten say that it’s the day to open presents, enjoy a special meal, or reflect on their life. Fewer people, around 10-15%, arrange an activity on their birthday, such as hiking or going to the movies, go shopping, or set off on a trip.
Data revealed that as much as 17% of respondents celebrate their birthdays close to another holiday, or sometimes even on the same day. That calls for an assumption that the OP is not the only one having to spend their anniversary celebrating someone or something else. But that didn’t seem to be the most disappointing thing in the redditor’s case; it was the fact that she was told that the party her SIL offered to host was going to be for her 30th, when in fact, it wasn’t. Fellow redditors could see why that made the redditor upset; they shared their views in the comments.
The majority of netizens didn’t think the woman was a jerk in the situation
Some people didn’t side with the birthday person
