My Daughter's 7th Birthday. She MadeInvitations By Hand For The Whole Family.She Kept Running To The Window EveryTime A Car Passed. Nobody Came. At 6 PMShe Asked If She Did Something Wrong.The Next Week, Mom Posted Photos From MySister's Kid's Party - Everyone Was There.part2…

Update 2. My daughter's seventh birthday. She made invitations by hand for the whole family. She kept running to the window every time a car passed, nobody came. At 6 p.m., she asked if she did something wrong. The next week, mom posted photos from the sister's kids' party. Everyone was there. Page did marry Trent eventually. They had a son named Bo about a year before Claire, and I had our daughter Nora, and this is where things started getting really obvious. Because when Bo was born, my parents practically moved into Page's house. My mom was there every day. She posted about Bo constantly. She threw a welcome party for a baby. I didn't even know that was a thing, but apparently, when your favorite child reproduces, you roll out the red carpet. When Nora was born, my mom visited once, stayed about two hours, held Nora for maybe 15 minutes. Said she was cute, and left to go help Page with something. I stood in the doorway of the nursery after she left, looking at my daughter sleeping in her crib, and thought, I am never going to let you feel the way I felt growing up. That was my promise. For the next few years, I kept trying. I kept inviting my parents to things. They'd show up sometimes, usually late, usually leaving early, always with some excuse about needing to help Page. My dad was a little better. He'd seem genuinely happy to see Nora, but he never pushed back on my mom, and in my family, my mom ran the show. Nora is one of those kids who just radiates warmth. She has this huge heart, and she wanted so badly to have a big close family. She'd ask about her grandparents, her cousin Bo, Aunt Page, our neighbor, a retired woman named Gail, was basically an honorary grandmother. But Nora knew the difference. Kids always know, so, when Nora turned seven, she decided she wanted to throw a big birthday party and invite the whole family. Not a huge ask. We're talking about my parents, Page, Trent, Bo, and maybe a couple of cousins. She spent an entire week making the invitations by hand. She drew butterflies on each one because she was obsessed with butterflies that year. She wrote everyone's name in her best handwriting, which at seven was charmingly wobbly. She even put little stickers on the envelopes. Claire and I mailed them out three weeks in advance. We also texted everyone because we're not animals and we know that a seven year, old's handmade invitation might not be taken as a formal calendar event. My mom texted back, we'll try to make it. Page never responded at all. My dad sent a thumbs-up emoji, which honestly was about as communicative as he ever got. The party was on a Saturday. Claire and I went all out. We decorated the backyard with streamers and a butterfly banner that Nora helped me hang. Claire baked a three-layer cake with purple frosting because purple was Nora's favorite color. We had a pifey out of shape like a caterpillar, goody bags, a craft station where kids could paint butterfly wings. We invited some of Nora's school friends, too, and a few of them confirmed.