Walking the Line

Over the weekend, I attended a bridal shower for one of my cousins. I chose to leave my 14 month-old daughter at home. In fact, I hadn't even considered bringing her. Once I received the invitation in the mail, I made sure to mention it to my husband so he could be home to take care of her.

As I walked into the bridal shower (that was being held at a cousin's house), I had several people say, "Oh! We wish you would have brought A with you! We were hoping to get to see her!" It actually caught me off guard a little bit, if I'm being honest. I was looking at this bridal shower as a couple of hours of time to myself, and it appeared that many of my cousins and relatives were hoping it would be a time for them to see my growing daughter.

So, what do you think? Would you have brought her? What's the right age to be bringing your daughter to these kinds of events? I know it probably depends slightly on each child, but you never can tell if people are just being nice....or if they were really hoping you would have brought your child. Maybe I should first let them know that she'll probably grab the stack of neatly placed napkins and drop them on the floor, then pull the magazines and Pottery Barn basket right off the coffee table, and anything else that she can get to. Still want me to bring her now?