My cousin will host a party dedicated to his birthday and my wife and I were invited there. I have never missed his birthday parties since he was a toddler. I am 8 years older than him. I am 30 and he is 22 now. But since he was 18 I am not eager to accept his invitations. I am doing it because he is my family and I am a bit afraid to decline it. At the moment I am contemplating about an excuse how to polite reject his invitation. To be honest I have no idea how to realise this plan. My mother told that I had to go without exceptions.

I consider myself as a grown man already although I am 20 in my mind. I stopped drinking alcohol and I am not interested in parties at all. I have other things to do and those things do not correspond with the company of my cousin. My conscience is telling me to go and my brain told me not to.