<TABLE class=storycontent cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=2>Birthday party snub sparks debate
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=storybody><!-- S BO --><!-- S IIMA --><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=226 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD> The case has sparked a debate in Sweden about civil liberties
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><!-- E IIMA --><!-- S SF --> An eight-year-old boy has sparked an unlikely outcry in Sweden after failing to invite two of his classmates to his birthday party.
The boy's school says he has violated the children's rights and has complained to the Swedish Parliament.
The school, in Lund, southern Sweden, argues that if invitations are handed out on school premises then it must ensure there is no discrimination.
The boy's father has lodged a complaint with the parliamentary ombudsman. <!-- E SF -->
He says the two children were left out because one did not invite his son to his own party and he had fallen out with the other one.
The boy handed out his birthday invitations during class-time and when the teacher spotted that two children had not received one the invitations were confiscated.
"My son has taken it pretty hard," the boy's father told the newspaper Sydsvenskan. "No one has the right to confiscate someone's property in this way, it's like taking someone's post," he added. A verdict on the matter is likely to be reached in September, in time for the next school year.
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**Taken from BBC News**
Do you think that things have gone to far? Should You be able to invite who you want? Or should you have to invite everyone to please them?
Oh I heard about this
It's ridiculous!!
Why does everything have to be made 'fair'
Because nothing is ever going to be truly fair
It's like I can't afford to invite Lukes entire class for his birthday party so we just invite his friends
He doesn't get invited to everyone else in his class's party its so stupid
Such a big deal over nothing!!
You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.
tbh you wouldnt invite a bunch of people you didnt like to a party, and even at that age, you wouldnt invite everyone you knew. it not discrimintation., it would be if they werent invited for say the clour of thier skin.
but gah, the world is wiered
"Its not how long a star shines, what is remembered is the brightness of the light"
Um, am I the only one here who does think it's wrong to hand out invitations during class to all but two kids in the class?
The issue wasn't that he simply didn't invite everyone to his party, but that he didn't invite everyone and distributed invitations during class. I think his teacher was absolutely right not to allow that. If he's inviting everyone in the class to the party (which plenty of people did at my elementary school), then announcing it in class is fine. Otherwise, just put the invitations in the freaking mail. It's really not okay to single out kids to exclude during school. The school hasn't said that he has to invite everyone to his party, only that unless he is going to invite the entire class, he's not allowed to distribute the invitations at school.
It's not like taking someone's post, because the invitations weren't in the post, they were at school. If I came to class with gum in my mouth in elementary school, I'd be made to throw it away. Are the wrongfully taking my personal property by making me get rid of the gum?
When I was in elementary school, kids used to bring cupcakes or cookies or things on their birthdays. If a kid showed up with cupcakes and didn't have enough for everyone in the class, she wouldn't be allowed to distribute them during class. Of course she could invite her friends over after school, and give them cupcakes them at her house, and the school would be completely fine with it. It's the same idea with the invitations.
Also, there's a big difference between inviting a few friends to a party, and inviting all but two kids in the class. In the first case, you're singling out people you're friends with. In the second case, you're singling out a small number of kids who you specifically do not like to exclude from the party.
Emily
(\__/)
(O.o )
(> < ) This Is Bunny. Copy Bunny into your signature to help him on his way to world domination.
At the school I work in its policy that the TA puts the invitations in the kids trays (But this is 6 year olds) because its horribly unfair to be one of the few left out. Most of the time kids dont understand why they havent been invited and it can be distressing.
However its ridiculous that its been this blown out of proportion, it wouldve been a lot less damaging if it had been dealt with descreetly.
There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you.
But there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.
I aint no abacus but you can count on me.
it wouldve been a lot less damaging if it had been dealt with descreetly.
True... but unless I missed something, it was the family of the boy with the invitations that made a big deal of it, not the school. All the school did was confiscate the invitations after the boy handed them out (presumably without having checked with the teacher first), and then the boy's parents made a big deal about how confiscating the invitations violated his rights.
Emily
(\__/)
(O.o )
(> < ) This Is Bunny. Copy Bunny into your signature to help him on his way to world domination.
I was referring to the way the parents reacted not the school...
There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you.
But there are times to go out into the world and find such a thing for yourself.
I aint no abacus but you can count on me.
^^In that case, I agree with you... Especially since as far as I'm concerned, it was the parents who were in the wrong in the first place, for sending their child to school with invitations for all but two of his classmates (rather than either inviting everyone or putting the invitations in the mail).
Emily
(\__/)
(O.o )
(> < ) This Is Bunny. Copy Bunny into your signature to help him on his way to world domination.
It's been blown out of proportion, which makes it worse for the kids involved.
I remember stuff being handed out at my primary school and not everyone getting one, but it was a small school, and it was very much you were friends with someone or not, I don;t remember any hassle with anyone not getting an invite from someone they didn't like. It's just life not everyone being invited, it's unfair as is life.
However, I also remember that most invites etc went through the teachers anyway, or the child's parents. Better than the kid themselves doing it and blatently ignoring a few people.
I can imagine kids would get upset at being left out and not knowing why, and i think maybe giving the invites to the teacher to put in trays/discretely (sp?) hand out would've been better, or even just posting them especially as kids love getting stuff through the door that's for them!
You can invite who you want to a party, and with little kids tact must come from the adults to minimise upset among those who aren't invited.
Are we demented or am I disturbed?
The space that's in between insane and insecure...
A child should be able to invite who they want to their birthday party. I understand why a teacher may see it as discrimination, but why would it be taken as far as this? It's a child's birthday party for goodness sake!
Silly people..
Um, am I the only one here who does think it's wrong to hand out invitations during class to all but two kids in the class?
The issue wasn't that he simply didn't invite everyone to his party, but that he didn't invite everyone and distributed invitations during class. I think his teacher was absolutely right not to allow that. If he's inviting everyone in the class to the party (which plenty of people did at my elementary school), then announcing it in class is fine. Otherwise, just put the invitations in the freaking mail. It's really not okay to single out kids to exclude during school. The school hasn't said that he has to invite everyone to his party, only that unless he is going to invite the entire class, he's not allowed to distribute the invitations at school.
It's not like taking someone's post, because the invitations weren't in the post, they were at school. If I came to class with gum in my mouth in elementary school, I'd be made to throw it away. Are the wrongfully taking my personal property by making me get rid of the gum?
When I was in elementary school, kids used to bring cupcakes or cookies or things on their birthdays. If a kid showed up with cupcakes and didn't have enough for everyone in the class, she wouldn't be allowed to distribute them during class. Of course she could invite her friends over after school, and give them cupcakes them at her house, and the school would be completely fine with it. It's the same idea with the invitations.
Also, there's a big difference between inviting a few friends to a party, and inviting all but two kids in the class. In the first case, you're singling out people you're friends with. In the second case, you're singling out a small number of kids who you specifically do not like to exclude from the party.
even if the invites had been sent in the mail, the kids would still be talking about at school in the following days, and the ones not invited would feel the same way. yes you are probably going to hurt someone's feelings, but most kids understand that they are not going to go to everyone's party, esp if they are not even friends.
well when i was at school that was the way it worked! i'd take my invites to school, hand them out to my friends, and the same would happen vice versa.
I agree with invisible girl. When i was in school we could bring things (like cupcakes) to pass out during class as long as we brought enough for everyone. And unless everyone was invited, the invitations were sent in the mail or the teacher would provide a phone list and parents could be called and informed of the party or even asked for an address so an invitation could be mailed. You can invite who want, but not on school time. But yes, it was blown way out of proportion.
On a similar note, my mom used to bring popsicles (sp?) to school for the class during the hot months or sometimes cookies. We had a boy who was alergic to dairy and she'd bring stuff for him that he could eat so he wouldn't feel left out, although it may have just been because i had a crush on him :) we later dated in college lol! (thanks mom) Didn't mean to stray off topic, but kids feeling left out just reminded me of that
it does say the reasons why the kids werent invited,
so they cant really say the kids would have been upset about it when they either werent friends (so wouldnt want to go anyway) or didnt invite them to their party (so shouldnt have been expecting one anyway).
fair enough to confiscate them if it was clear discrimination because of colour etc, but it wasnt.
this happened all the time in our school, so i dunno why they would even confiscate them or take it this big.
its rediculous......
but i guess in certain areas or countries, what people do is different as smaller schools and bigger schools would react differently because of how well everyone knows each other.
She wipes away her tears,
and hides them in her sleeve,
for another time when she's alone.
Put on a brave face girl,
the world would love to see you fall.
Thats the fun of making it <3
^^good point with the bigger and smaller schools. I've never thought of that. I was from a smaller school, but it might be different in a bigger school. I wonder if that really does make a difference? Espically since it wasn't racial, sexual, etc. discrinimation.
I think children should have the right to invite who they wish to have at their party. Why invite children they don't like? My son would choose who he wanted to go to his parties, not me.
Also, handing out invites. My son would give them to the teacher and they would be put in their 'pouches.'
This country is trying to make our children 'pampered', they can't have winners in races, so how do they cope in the 'real' world. They can't play games in the playground incase they get 'hurt'
Now, they can't choose their friends incase they're 'Feeling' are hurt.
It is called LIFE,
I know its relly stupid and again just pc gone mad but...
i still am upset that i was the only person in my class that a certain girl never gave a christmas pressie and card to while she gave everyone else one, even people she didnt know well. i still hold that grudge and was really upset - its not nice to exclude, and it is in a way bullying (she did that to me bcause she didnt like me, and went on to do other hurtful things further on). it shouldnt have been taken so seriously, but the teacher could have talked to his partents or something to sort it, cause it is a form of bullying if only 2 get left out...
The case has sparked a debate in Sweden about civil liberties
