I distinctly remember wanting desperately to be included in my older brother’s parties when I was a kid from his sleepovers with just a couple of the boys in his class to the volleyball game in the backyard when he turned fifteen to – and I cannot believe I’m admitting this – the night my friend Jen and I hid under the dining room table to watch his friends coming in after the Junior Prom.
I will always be the little sister, so I tend to side with my younger child, feeling bad for him when his big sister hangs “No Boys Allowed” signs on her door or tells him that he absolutely cannot spend time with her and her playdate pals. This is why I was so excited when my kids worked with me to come up with a crazy plan for my daughter’s 8th birthdy party – Siblings Invited! Three of my daughter’s favorite friends have younger siblings that are either the same age or close to the same age as my son, so when we sent out the invitation, we included the little brothers and sisters as well.
While there were the occasional moments when big sister battled little or big brother tried to outshine his little brother during a party game, in general the party with siblings included worked out great, and both of my kids were happy that we included everyone. It was wonderful to see how proud the little ones were to be invited to a big kid party, and some of the older kids enjoyed playing with the younger siblings of their friends. One sibling set even brought a gift for my son so he had something to open while big sis opened her gifts!
If I can get my son on board later this spring when he turns six, this is definitely something worth trying again.