Yes, some root stocks do this quite a lot. Just for the sake of clarity, suckers are the branches that come from the lowest part of a tree, below the graft. new sprouts that come up from the roots an make a new tree are called just that, a new tree, or sprouts, and that sort of root is called "precocious" Certain cherry root stocks do this more that others. One of the newer dwarfing stocks is especially bad as I recall. My jujube are very bad about this, but then I use the sprouts to graft to, to start new trees. when trying to get rid of these precocious sprouts, be sure to dig a bit and make a clean cut right at the root that is running horizontally in the ground. Try to cause as little injury to the horizontal root as possible, or it will sprout out multiple new sprouts again and again.

It's standard in my husband's family. We had practically the same guest list for my first 2 daughters, but their birthdays are in Nov and Dec, so we used our Community center and limited the party to 3 hours. My son's birthday is in June and we held the party in our yard. And that was where we went wrong. Yeah- some guests lingered till the wee hours of the morning. Really, I can't believe DH survived, b/c I almost lynched him when the baby woke at 2am, and my 4 year old woke up crying at the same time and he was still partying it up in the yard with some friends. I sent my 4 year old to the window to call him crying-lol. It has been settled it will be our immediate family and local aunts and uncles and close friends (which is 2 families). DH finally listened to my voice of reason. Thanks for all your input. I will update and let you all know how it went Mid-May.

Generally people should reciprocate... but with life experiences, I notice there are many exceptions so it kind of ends up changing the normal rules for me. We have one couple that invites us over a lot... but are never free when we invite them... if they have free weekends, they plan to have people over, so it makes it hard for us to reciprocate. Actually, it kind of annoys me... What do the rules say about people too busy to ever accept your invitation? What about someone who invites you to their big Halloween party every year... do you have to have them over individually if you don't throw big parties? Will those hosts even be able to fit in going back to everyone's house? 50-100 guests = 50 dinner invites a year! There are just so many exceptions with kids, babies, jobs, illnesses and stuff...it's not always reasonable to expect people can invite you over. Also, some people don't have enough space or money to entertain while others do and really enjoy it. Should you say no to an invite if you know you can't easily reciprocate? I mean, my husband gets and gives out hundred dollar sporting events tickets to friends, but he doesn't expect people to reciprocate with the same thing or dollar amount. I don't really look at the return invitation thing... but the friendship as a whole... If one person is always giving and one is always taking, then I may quit inviting... but a lot of my friends provide things other than a return party invite.. One of my friends never has us over but she helps watch my kids sometimes. Some people just really don't entertain or even go out to dinner often. I guess it depends on what your look for in a friend, how many friends you have, and what you feel about your friend. A friend with good emotional support means more to me than one who reciprocates my party invites.

"we allow others to feel hurt when we all know they shouldn't" What does that mean? If someone feels excluded or humiliated because, say, all the other first cousins were invited, she has no right to feel hurt? Or that she "shouldn't" feel hurt because it's "your wedding" and you should plan it "to enjoy the day" -- meaning, consider no one's feelings but your own? Weren't you ever hurt because you weren't invited to a wedding or party? Did you just feel all warm inside and say to yourself, "Oh, it makes me feel so good to know that they're planning Their Day the way they want it?" Just because our weddings are our weddings -- obviously -- doesn't mean that we have a license to disregard others' feelings. I'm not certainly not saying that everyone has to invite everyone to whom they are related, or everyone who might hope to receive an invitation. But at the same time, I don't agree that others don't have a right to feel hurt if they are slighted just because it is Our Day, and we are The Bride and Groom. Guests, attendants, families, and friends have feelings even on others' wedding days, and brides and grooms don't have some sort of special, one-time exemption from considering others' feelings and being kind and gracious. Again, I stress that I'm not saying that the OP, or anyone else, has to invite anyone. In fact, it's almost impossible to invite everyone we know we probably should, and even when we could, for various reasons, we don't (that includes me). I just think it's going too far to claim that people "shouldn't" feel hurt if they are excluded on what is obviously a "merit" system, not some objective basis like "only first cousins" or "no one under 18." Inviting whom you please doesn't make you Bridezilla -- but declaring that only your feelings should matter would.