Does "let me think about it" feel like rejection to anyone else?

I’ve invited my siblings and their kids over for dinner in two weeks. When I sent the invitation, the response I got was, “I’ll think about it, but nice of you to invite us.”

Honestly, it feels like rejection right away, like they’re not interested. If it were me and I wanted to go, I would’ve said, “That sounds great, I’d love to!”

This isn’t a one-time thing either—it feels like a pattern. They’re good at making plans without me, but when I invite them, I often get a “We’ll see” or “Let’s play it by ear.” Then, sometimes the day before, they’ll suddenly say, “Hey, we can come by after all,” even though the invitation was sent weeks ago. The same thing happens with birthday celebrations, which makes it all even more frustrating.

When they say “I’ll think about it,” am I being rejected, or is it just how I’m interpreting it? And if it’s the latter, why do I feel so hurt by this? I can’t quite figure it out, but the whole situation leaves me feeling stuck and confused.

Does anyone else struggle with this? How do you handle feeling like an afterthought without letting it get to you?