I’ve had a hard time putting this week’s blog into words. I vowed to blog about both the good and bad sides of pregnancy, and this week’s blog falls under both. Needless to say, I’m pretty confused by it. It’s getting close to baby shower time, and I’m realizing that I must’ve missed baby shower class in first-time mommy school! Here’s my concern…
One of the most generous things someone can do for an expectant mother is decide to throw a baby shower for her. My wonderful mother-in-law was the first to step up to the plate! She’s done a fantastic job at finding a location and deciding on decorations and food. She’s always been good at that kind of stuff! That’s one of the reasons why I haven’t had much of a concern about it. However, when I sat down to put the invitation list together, it brought up an ugly side of such a wonderful occasion. If you’ve had a baby shower or planned a wedding, I’m sure you understand! Deciding on decorations, where to register, and what to register for are all important factors, but none of them are as personal and nerve-racking as deciding who to invite.
If you’re like me, you have people who are close to you, that may not get along with others who are also close. It could be a couple of warring family members or some of your friends who share a drama filled history. You’d like to invite everyone that loves you and are happy about the arrival of your baby, but you also don’t want your baby shower to end up like a bad Jerry Springer episode!
I’ve also found that people who made no attempt to take part in planning the shower, have been quick to give their input on who shouldn’t be invited or where it should be. While I value these opinions, they end up being pretty nerve wracking! I absolutely hate offending people and even writing this makes me uneasy because I know some of people reading this have been or will be involved in our baby shower in some way. But then I think, come on… It’s just a baby shower! You invite people, you give them cake, they bring gifts, you send “thank you” cards. Simple, right? Oh no, it is not!
There’s only so much space at the baby shower’s location and as much as I’d like to invite all of Facebook, I know it would be hard to split a cake that many ways. So what do you do? If you overlook that person who’s kind enough to say hello to you at work all the time, you can expect a bad attitude next week. Exclude a family member or distant friend intentionally or by accident? Expect to never live that down! And just how much of a faux pas is it to invite someone to your baby shower if you didn’t go to theirs? And what if you invite someone who’s not as close as you think? Will it seem like you’re begging for gifts? How about the fact that my schedule is different from just about everyone I socialize with? They’ll all either be at work or doing usual “school night” things on the night of the shower. Sigh… I must admit, I’m not up to par on my baby shower etiquette, and I am freaking out a little as I try to figure out how diplomatic I should be. Maybe I’m being overly sensitive. I’m just not good with this kind of stuff!
So help me out here ladies and gents!! Fill me in on typical baby shower etiquette. How did you handle your baby shower? And if you have them, share your overwhelming baby shower stories! (We can all laugh about them now right?! lol)
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