The words 'baby shower' always put me on edge. It's not that I'm against the idea of throwing a party to celebrate someone's impending new motherhood - more that I managed to go into labour on the same day as mine, so I never did get to play a bunch of silly games revolving around the contents of a newborn's nappy theme. And yeah, I still feel a bit cheated.
(That's not a party trick I recommend, by the way. The organiser of my baby shower spent an hour standing on my doorstep in the rain wondering why I wasn't in on the day of my own baby shower, or why I wouldn't answer her calls. Fortunately, when I later explained, she was quick to appreciate that giving birth makes multi-tasking kinda tricky...)
But according to a story I heard on the radio today, one recent study suggests that British women spend £220 million on baby showers every year. Whether that's on throwing them or attending them, I'm not sure. But we all know from attending weddings that even being the guest at someone else's special event can be a costly endeavour. And since no self-respecting celeb seems capable of popping out a sprog these days without first throwing a lavish baby shower - complete with double page spread in a glossy mag, of course - I'm guessing we can blame them for the rise in popularity of baby showers for us mere mortals.
So I'm wondering where you stand when it comes to baby showers? Do you think they're a tacky tradition that we should never have adopted from across the pond, or a touching way to mark new motherhood and prepare for your new arrival with your best friends gathered around you?
Did you have a baby shower, or did you point-blank refuse one if friends or family suggested throwing one for you?
Image credit: Flickr/Kiss My Buttercream
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