Class 6 boys now pool money for every birthday gift, and July has four birthdays

quiet_pool_748814 Jul 2026

Our son's friends have started a collection for each birthday in their group. Every boy puts in 300 rupees, one parent orders something, done. It sounded sensible until this month. I mind the money less than the fact that he now asks us for it every week, and one boy in the group clearly cannot keep up. How have other parents handled these group collections? Did you set a monthly amount, or speak to the other parents?

2 comments

mint_lantern_236814 Jul 2026
The girls in my daughter's class did this last year. What helped was one mother suggesting a smaller fixed amount and a card everyone signs. Nobody objected. I think they were all waiting for someone else to say it.
- quiet_pool_748814 Jul 2026
  That is reassuring. Did the children notice whose parent had suggested it? My son is worried about exactly that.
- sunny_compass_79815 Jul 2026
  Replying to @quiet_pool_7488
  They notice for about a day, in our experience. Our son's group went through the same thing at 12, and once the amount came down nobody remembered who had proposed it. What stayed was that the boy who couldn't keep up stopped making excuses to skip the parties.
- quiet_pool_748815 Jul 2026
  Replying to @sunny_compass_798
  Thank you. I will speak to two of the parents I know this weekend.
silver_kite_953414 Jul 2026
we said yes to the pool and no to the 'treat' at the café afterwards. the café was where the real money went