Gen Z woman excluding friends with kids from birthday celebrations praised

A 26-year-old woman’s decision to exclude her longtime friends—who are now parents—from her birthday celebration has ignited a wave of support from viewers on Reddit.

“I’m the only person in the group without kids,” the woman, who goes by u/acceptablepenalty829, said in the post from May 29.

The Gen Zer explained how her once-close college friend group had gradually shifted priorities after becoming parents, often sidelining her in the process. Within a day, the post amassed more than 12,000 upvotes, with commenters applauding her for asserting her needs and drawing boundaries after feeling cast aside by her social circle.

For years, she said, the group’s social gatherings—once routine game nights—evolved into adult-only events like wine tastings and fancy dinners. The problem? These events were held exclusively on weekends and evenings, which clashed with her restaurant job schedule.

“I’ve expressed multiple times that it would be great to have daytime events or meet during the week to do things since my schedule is very flexible during the day,” she added. “They always say, ‘oh we’ll try that for the next time,’ but it never happens.”

Her breaking point came when the group rescheduled her own birthday celebration—without consulting her—because one member’s babysitter became unavailable.

Nancy West, a licensed clinical social worker and therapist at West Counseling & Consulting, told Newsweek the woman’s emotional response was valid and common in evolving adult relationships.

“From a clinical perspective, it’s essential to understand that friendships evolve with us,” West told Newsweek. “Different life stages naturally test the structure and strength of our connections.

“It’s completely valid to feel unseen or undervalued when your schedule, priorities, or lifestyle no longer align with your friends.'”

West emphasized that unmet emotional needs—especially those around being considered and prioritized—can often surface in situations like these.

“The woman is not asking for perfection; she is asking for balance. The need to feel like her time, work, and milestones matter just as much is deeply human,” she added.

The woman had explained in the post exactly how her friends rescheduled her birthday.

“My birthday fell on a Sunday, and I asked them if we could do a celebration during the day since I was working that night, and they agreed,” she said. “Then the day before…They changed it to evening because ‘Sarah’s babysitter cancelled but can do 7 p.m. instead.'”

Rather than miss out on her birthday, she planned her own event with coworkers, went out for brunch and an escape room, and posted pictures online. Her original friend group was shocked.

“They are now calling me petty and that I should understand that finding childcare is hard,” she added. “But I’m over being the only one who is expected to accommodate everyone else 100 percent of the time.”

West encourages other people facing similar situations to grieve what the friendship used to be and assess whether their values still align with the group.

“Ask yourself: Do I feel respected? Do we still show up for each other in ways that count, even if it’s less frequent?” She said.

The Reddit post resonated with thousands, many of whom shared their own experiences of being overlooked or deprioritized in friendships due to differing life paths.

Some commenters suggested that the woman was in the right for asserting her boundaries.

One viewer said: “If Sarah’s babysitter cancelled that means Sarah has to miss the event. It doesn’t mean your birthday gets rescheduled around Sarah’s needs. However your friends have made it clear that their bond of motherhood is a priority and you aren’t in that club so I’d suggest just making friends with normal people who don’t get knocked up young instead.”

“OP and them are on different life paths,” another added. “Pretty sure with these young marriages will come a string of divorces in their late 20s followed by a bunch of second marriages in their early 30s.

“They have deprioritized OP and she should hang with/build closer relationships with likeminded acquaintances.”

“I disagree about the superior or better thing. More than likely, their lives have shifted, and OP’s interests are not aligning with theirs,” a third viewer responded.

“It sounds mean (and is if it’s the situation) but it feels like they are using it as an excuse to see each other and not you specifically,” another commented. “It’s your day, you are queen and rule the schedule here.”

West added that making space for new friendships that reflect current realities can be both healing and affirming.

“It’s also healthy to make space for new friendships, people who are in your current rhythm of life, like coworkers or others who ‘get’ your reality right now,” she said.

She concluded with a reminder that maintaining adult friendships takes effort and communication from both sides.

“You can love your friends and still feel let down,” she explained. “And you can hold them accountable while also offering room to grow.”

Newsweek reached out to u/acceptablepenalty829 for more information via Reddit.

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