A Mom Rented Out The Whole Gym For Her Daughter's Birthday Party And No One Showed Up — Despite RSVPing Yes
This mom had to make the best out of a bad moment.
wavebreakmedia / Shutterstock A mother on TikTok shared the heartbreaking story about her daughter’s 8th birthday party. Since she was into gymnastics, the mom rented out an entire gymnastics gym in order to host her party. Fifteen kids were invited, and the parents would be accounted for as well.
Even though all 15 of the kids RSVP’d yes, none of them showed up, and it left the mother heartbroken for her daughter — so much so, that she had to go outside and gather herself.
The mom tried to stay positive after no one showed up to her 8-year-old’s birthday party.
“That moment you rent out an entire gymnastics gym for your daughter’s eighth birthday party [and] nobody shows up,” she explains. “I’m in the bathroom trying to decompress so I can go have fun with her.”
The rest of the clip is a compilation of photos taken at the empty birthday party. Her mom stands behind her and a banner reads “Happy FLIPPIN’ birthday Nellyonna!” She shows us what the events room looks like with a beautiful cake that reads “Happy B-day Nelly 8” and some snacks and balloons.
The decorations and event were carefully planned out, and although her friends didn’t show up to enjoy it, the people in the comments were very kind and supportive of the mom and even Nelly.
“This happened to me on my sweet 16, and even though it hurt at the time, what I remember most was my mom making me feel so special,” one person wrote, commending this mom for staying strong during a difficult moment.
“This is why I always try and make my son go to every party he’s invited to,” another mom wrote, hoping that by going to every birthday party, other parents would return the favor.
But most of all, what people were concerned about was two things — was there a way for people to buy Nelly some gifts, and how many people RSVP’d that they would go?
All 15 kids RSVP’d 'yes' to Nelly’s birthday party, and only one person showed up — late.
“Um, her little cousin did show up, and then, um, one of her friends showed up with her little sister. So those three just had a blast,” the mom revealed in a second video. “They had the whole gym to themselves, you know what I mean?”
Not only that, but her birthday didn’t stop once the party ended. The mom decided to make the best out of a bad situation and took her daughter to do more fun things after their time at the gymnastics gym ended.
“Afterwards, we took her to go see some Halloween light displays,” she explains. “We love Halloween here at our house, so we got to go see some really cool light displays.” She showed off the awesome Halloween lights and then decided to address some of the replies she received on her original video.
Although many people were supportive and offered to buy Nelly gifts through the Amazon wishlist she posted on her TikTok account, others were mean-spirited and insulted the mom, saying she wasn’t doing her job as a mother.
She did a great job, letting everyone know all of the details about the party. They all RSVP’d yes, and she let the parents know that they could hang out at the gym without using the equipment because she had ordered catering for them.
The only thing she didn’t consider was that, maybe, people didn’t show up because they felt obligated to bring a gift, but she never thought to mention that they shouldn’t feel obligated to.
Above all else, this mom made sure that, despite her own heartbreak and feelings about the situation, Nelly had a great eighth birthday party. Hopefully, it’s one that she won’t forget — and for all the right reasons.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor for YourTango who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics.