The birthday party I planned got taken over by my friend's kids

Last month I turned 34 and wanted a chill dinner with 6 friends at a tapas place downtown. My best friend Sarah offered to coordinate the group text and suddenly it became a family thing where 4 people brought their kids and we ended up at a pizza joint with crayons on the table. I didn't say anything because I felt rude, but I spent $80 on a sitter for nothing and barely talked to anyone because everyone was chasing toddlers. Has anyone else had a simple adult hangout secretly turned into a playdate? How do you set that boundary without sounding like a jerk?

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olivia_morgan81d ago

okay but hold on, did you actually tell Sarah you wanted no kids there? like, the second she said "family thing" you shouldve been like "wait no, i meant just us adults." i get not wanting to be rude but letting it slide silently kinda told everyone it was fine lol. also, a good friend who knows you well wouldve checked first before making it a whole different event. im not saying youre wrong to be annoyed, just that the boundary needs to be set before the invites go out, not after you're already at the pizza place. next time just be blunt, "hey this is a no kids thing, i need a break" and if people get weird about it, theyre not really respecting your birthday anyway.