Tacky parents request gifts

As a parent with a child in the Las Virgenes Unified School District, my child has received several invitations to bar/bat mitzvahs but never in all my life have I ever seen an invitation that stated specifically that "no gifts under $50 would be accepted!"

I cannot seem to understand what sort of message these parents are expressing to the recipient of the supposed invitation? It seem as if these parents should be asking for the price of admission to this event. I was always under the impression that a gift is just that, a gift and not a mandatory obligation with a minimum dollar amount attached in order for your gift to be deemed worthy enough.

This is the ultimate in poor taste and bad manners.

If these parents want to spend an excessive amount of money on a party, that is their choice. And what does this teach the children? That the right of passage in the Jewish faith has lost its true meaning and the gift is really the price of admission to a show?

Shame on these parents and they should be seeking counseling from their rabbi. Deedra Hart Agoura Hills