Girl Cancels Her Own Birthday Party After Her Parents Gave Her Sister A Slice Of The Cake The Night Before
Don't let them eat cake.
asiandelight / Shutterstock; CanvaPro After a girl spent weeks saving up money for her own birthday party and bought all of the necessities, she was excited to kick off the celebration with her friends and family.
Unfortunately, she never had the chance to do so after one of the most important elements of her party had been ruined by her own family. Now, she is wondering if she overreacted by calling off the party over the inconvenience.
The girl decided to cancel her birthday party after her parents cut a slice of her cake for her sister to have the night before.
Sharing her story to the subreddit, r/AITA, the girl started off by revealing that her 11-year-old sister is the “golden child” of her family.
“She always gets what she wants whenever she wants. My parents are always trying to please her and make her happy,” she wrote. “They always make a big effort on her birthday and do whatever that she asks for but they can barely remember mine and they are always conveniently ‘broke.’”
This year, the girl decided that she would save up as much money as she could so that she could pay for her own birthday party. In order to make this possible, she babysat and nowed lawns to earn some extra cash.
“I have been planning for weeks and invited all my friends,” the girl wrote. “I bought the food, snacks, and drinks and picked up my custom-made cake which I was really excited about. It was just perfect.”
The night before her party, the girl was checking to make sure all of the decorations and food were in order and was baffled to discover that a huge slice had been taken out of her cake. “When I asked my Dad, he shrugged and nonchalantly said that my sister was crying for it and it was just a small piece, my friends wouldn't notice,” the girl claimed.
Photo: Africa Studio / Shutterstock
Rightfully so, the girl was furious with her father. “I yelled at him asking him why he would do something like that when it wasn't even bought with his money and that my sister could have waited for tomorrow,” she wrote. “This made him angry and he went on a tirade about how I think I'm an adult because of my stupid party implying the fact that I did everything myself and did not ask them for anything.”
Ultimately, the girl was so distraught about her ruined birthday cake that she decided to cancel her party. Although, not everyone agreed with her choice.
“One of my friends told me that calling it off was an overreaction and that I could have just grit my teeth and gone through with doing it at home rather than canceling just hours before,” the girl wrote.
Now, she is second-guessing her decision, asking other Redditors for their opinions.
Many defended the girl’s choice to cancel her birthday party, and criticized her parents and sister for ruining such an important part of it.
“You made the right choice. This was supposed to be a happy thing for you that you earned and arranged for yourself. When it became clear that it could not be that anymore, you were right to cancel it,” one Redditor commented.
“Your parents handled this terribly. They had an opportunity to teach patience and discipline to your sister and that went right out the window,” another user wrote. “The cake did not belong to your parents or sister. It was the cake that you bought for your birthday. No one should have touched it.”
“This absolutely hurt me to read. I am so sorry your parents made you feel this way bout your own birthday,” another added.
Not only did the girl have to miss out on celebrating her birthday party due to her parents favoring her sister, but she has had to endure neglect and disappointment at their hands for nearly her entire childhood.
Sibling favoritism is something that can affect the unfavored sibling well into adulthood. “Parents may favor one child over another, for a lot of reasons. The child may have an easy temperament or might behave particularly well. They may look like you, or remind you of a favorite relative,” social psychologist Susan Newman told Reader’s Digest.
“But regardless of the reason, every child must be made to feel loved and special, in order to fully thrive… Favoritism may not represent a difference in the love you feel, but it can look, and feel that way to your children—both the one who is favored and the ones who are not.”
Photo: EvgeniiAnd / Shutterstock
The unfavored siblings may suffer negative consequences including low self-esteem, lack of motivation, and depression. They may even act out and misbehave to receive much-needed attention from their parents.
“Unfavored children may have a hard time accepting who they are since they do not feel accepted by their parents,” Yelena Gidenko, a licensed professional counselor, added to Reader’s Digest.
The favored children can be negatively affected by their parents' treatment as well. Since they are so often placed on a pedestal, they may believe that the world revolves around them, and are stunned when they realize that in fact, does not.
“Favored children may feel a sense of entitlement, and that rules do not apply to them,” Dr. Gidenkno said. This can affect their abilities at school, work, and in relationships.
It is never too late for parents to correct their behavior when it comes to favoring one of their children over another.
“Part of doing this is to hold all of your children responsible, and accountable, to the same standards. Rotate their responsibilities, such as cleaning up after dinner,” Newman recommended. “Give them all chores to do, as they are able to do them, taking age and ability, into account.”
This also includes forbidding them from eating their sibling’s birthday cake the night before their party.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.