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I'm not saying be disrespectful to the family. I'm only saying the OP has a right to have a grown up life too. Love your family, but stand your ground or they will run your life.
Thanks. I'm definitely not being disrespectful towards them. I love all my family. To be honest though, we aren't very close. My sister and I live just 40 miles away from my brother and his girlfriend, and the only time we see them is during Christmas and maybe during Thanksgiving. It's just around times like this such as birthdays, that they make it seem like we're all so close.
Really? You are weighing attending a family member's birthday party versus watching a bunch of cars drive in circles for hours?
Go to the birthday party. I'm sure that there are other days where you can watch the races. What if something were to happen to this relative and you missed their party because you were watching racing? I'm sure you would feel devastated.
One of my buddies' almost-wife decided to schedule their wedding on the same day as Super Bowl XL, literally a month before the game. The dude is from Seattle, so pretty much he had been waiting his whole life to see the Seahawks play for a ring. Nearly everyone in his family asked why she would be so stupid to pick that day, turns out she did it specifically as a means of control because she hated football. Needless to say, he did not marry her, called off the wedding. At our Super Bowl party, he met his wife who is a hardcore Steelers fan. While they hated each other at first, they got married a year later by a JP, two days before the Super Bowl (oddly enough). Their reception was a keg party during halftime. It was pretty cool.
This has little to do with your situation, but I have to wonder why people who aren't married think it's in good taste to throw a party for their kid.
I'd say stay and watch the race. Your nephew is only one and won't understand or remember. Stop by the day before or whatever. As long as you make the effort to stop by, I don't see what the big deal is. If he was a little older I'd understand why it would be important to go to the actual party.
If you are going to the race it's excusable to miss the party. If you are just watching it on tv then family should come first and you should just DVR the race.
He'll be one. Some think birthdays for kids that young is necessary, but others like myself don't think so because kids that young never remember anything.
At the party, it's going to be a lot of their friends that I really don't care for. The only people there that I'd even talk to are my bro, his girlfriend, my nephew and my dad...which are the few people who I would spend the fews hours early in the day with.
He's one, he won't miss you
This is all about his parents.
And while it's sweet that they are so engrossed in and enamored of their child that they think everyone else should be too, they are wrong.
You've offered a compromise, that is all you are really required to do.
Live your life and make no apologies. The minute they think they can guilt you the manipulation begins.
Be nice, but firm - tell them you'll see them earlier in the day or on another day that week. Bring a nice gift and have some one on one time with the 1 year old then.
A one year old party and the family freaking out?? Give me an F-ing break!! (GOD I LOVE my cat!!) Go early, spend time with them and peace out before race. Either they take seeing you for the little bit of time or take not seeing you at all..Let them pick..
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