Mom Slammed After Asking Children's Birthday Party Guests To Bring $5 For Yard Renovations

A mother faced criticism on the internet after she set some unusual guidelines for her child's birthday celebration.

It seems there's often hidden drama at children's birthday parties.

This notion comes from a video a mother shared online after throwing such a party for her own child.

Rachel Gibbs, the mom, went on social media to list her party rules, which didn't sit well with quite a few people.

The mom took to TikTok to share her views. TikTok / @rachonlife

One of the rules — and if you're not a morning person, you might want to skip this part — was that the party started at 9:30 am.

Typically, you'd expect a children's party to be scheduled around lunchtime or maybe in the early evening.

Her logic was that ending the party early would leave attendees with most of their day still free and wouldn't interfere with nap time.

She stated, "I don't want you at my house all day. I'm giving you your day. I do not expect you to sacrifice your entire Saturday for a child's birthday party who's not even gonna remember it.

"And the time? Please leave my house. My child needs to nap, and anybody who's coming to a 1-year-old's birthday party is already up at 9:30 a.m., or they can suck it up for one day because it's over at 11. You have your entire day."

However, it was her alternative to gifts that sparked more discussion.

She clarified that she preferred not to receive gifts. Instead, if guests felt like giving, they could contribute $5 toward refurbishing their backyard.

People had a lot of thoughts about the party. TikTok / @rachonlife

Gibbs explained: "I specifically, very clearly, put on the invitations 'Please, do not bring gifts.'"

She continued: "And then I said, 'If you feel inclined to bring something, consider $5, because we're trying to remodel, redo our yard. Our backyard is a train wreck."

"Bring us five bucks to help us redo our backyard. That's what we're asking. But she does not need anything."

While numerous TikTok users appreciated the early party idea, the suggestion of donating money for the yard rather than bringing gifts received mixed reactions.

One user commented: "Never host a party and ask for money!!"

Another expressed disapproval, posting: "I don't agree with using a birthday for a home project."

Yet, another person saw it differently, remarking: "I'd much rather bring $5 than a random thing you may not want or need!!"