Grandmother Calls Grandson A 'Spoiled Brat' Because She Didn't Get A Say In The Flavor Of His Birthday Cake
She is demanding an apology note from the 5-year-old boy.
Evgeny Atamanenko | Shutterstock In no uncertain terms, birthday rules dictate that the flavor and style of the cake are determined by the birthday person. Who would argue with that?
A little boy turning 5 years old requested a chocolate cake with chocolate icing for his birthday. While his parents agreed, his grandmother took issue with his chosen cake flavor, demanding he pick another and calling him spoiled when he refused.
A grandmother called her grandson a 'spoiled brat' because she didn’t get a say in the flavor of his birthday cake.
"My son was telling [his grandmother] how’s he getting chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream," the birthday boy's mom wrote in a Reddit post. "My [mother-in-law] said she didn’t like that and my son should get something we all like."
The boy didn't hold back and told his grandmother exactly what we're all thinking: "It’s not your birthday so you don’t get a say."
Bogdan Pigulyak | Shutterstock
His mom explained that this incident came just a week after he attended a friend's birthday party where they served "the default white birthday cake and whipped icing" — a flavor her son does not like.
"We had the discussion about how the birthday person gets to choose their cake flavor because it’s their special day," she wrote. "I told [his grandmother] the same thing I told my son: 'When it’s your birthday you can get whatever flavor of cake you want.'"
The woman did not appreciate her daughter-in-law’s response.
“My mother-in-law called me a [expletive] and my son a spoiled brat,” the woman recalled. “So I told her, ‘With that attitude, you won’t be coming to the party.’”
When the woman’s husband tried to convince her to get a cake his mother would enjoy, she put her foot down.
“It isn’t her day and that just teaches our son to act entitled at other people's parties if we don’t stick to the rules and etiquette that we explain to him,” the woman wrote. "My husband saw the truth in that."
Still, the woman’s mother-in-law doesn’t believe she did anything wrong and even demanded that her grandson write her an apology note.
Ground Picture | Shutterstock
"[She] said she’s not coming to the birthday party or getting him a gift without the apology note," the Redditor added. "I told my [mother-in-law] that’s all on her."
While it seems like this grandma is simply a stick in the mud, the truth is deeper than that. Jill Spiegel, author of "How to Talk to Anybody About Anything," told Parents, "Disagreements develop when a grandparent feels, incorrectly, that they have ownership of the situation." While that also seems inappropriate, it's pivotal to remember that because of experience, grandparents sometimes feel a sense of authority when it comes to parenting. Ultimately, Grandma just wants to feel like she is important, especially to her grandson.
Most commenters insisted that the grandmother was the one acting like a spoiled brat.
“Your mother-in-law’s behavior is so entitled and rude that she got called on it by a 5-year-old,” one Reddit user wrote. “It's not spoiled at all to want to have your birthday cake be in your favorite flavor, but it's incredibly spoiled and selfish to tell someone else to change their birthday cake flavor to suit you.”
“It’s his birthday, not hers!" another commenter pointed out. "If she can’t respect that, it’s really her loss for missing out."
“If anyone needs to write an apology note it is your mother-in-law,” a third user noted.
It's ultimately up to the birthday person to choose the menu for their party, and if they prefer a chocolate cake, then so be it! It's their special day. Eat the cake for don't, but don't make the day about yourself.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.