Little Boy Devastated That The 'Birthday Fairies' Didn't Decorate The House For His Mom's Birthday
The mother couldn't understand why he was so upset.
Maya23K, Jose Manuel Gelpi / CanvaPro Many adults cherish the birthday memories they made as kids, whether they recall receiving a special gift, eating a fancy dinner, or waking up to a house full of cheerful decorations. As they age, however, people start to realize the birthday magic was largely created by parents who spent days and weeks preparing to make the day one to remember.
When the kids inevitably grow up, get into relationships, and start having children of their own, it becomes their turn to make their kid's birthdays as exciting and memorable as possible. That's exactly what one mom did for her son, making every birthday special with a houseful of decorations.
Never taking credit, her son believed some act of magic decorated their house — with “birthday fairies” blowing up balloons, hanging streamers, and baking a cake.
The little boy was devastated when he realized that the ‘birthday fairies’ didn't decorate the house for his mother’s birthday.
On his mother’s birthday, the little boy couldn’t wait to see the decorations courtesy of the "birthday parties." However, when he ran out of his bedroom he was met with great disappointment when he saw their blank walls and bags of unused decorations.
His mom, Tara Woodcox, shared the footage of her son’s unexpected reaction from her living room camera just a few days later.
“Why is it not set up yet?” her son asked in a desperate plea to his mom.
The short clip caught her young son looking around the house hesitantly, staring at the bleak tables and blank walls that held his birthday decorations only a few months prior. Clearly in a rush to decorate for her party before her friends and family arrived, the mom looked down at her son.
“Do you want to help set it up quickly before Nana and Papa get here?” she asked.
However, instead of responding, the boy started to cry, leaving the mom confused and wondering what was wrong. From little inaudible sentences and a mention of fairies, viewers and the mom simultaneously started to grasp what the little boy was so upset about.
In a heartwarming turn of events, she slowly realized that her son was upset that her birthday didn't get the same recognition as his own. He woke up to streamers, a cake, and presents, but she was stuck decorating the house herself.
“He was devastated that the decorating fairies didn’t come to decorate for mom’s birthday,” the woman wrote over the video.
Photo: Ljupco Smokovski / Shutterstock
"They don’t realize that moms make all the magic happen," one user aptly commented. "Maybe he will remember this and be that guy who does these awesome husband and dad things," another wrote.
Despite the funny nature of the video, the reality is that many moms feel the burden of decorating and planning their own birthdays.
“Have you ever wondered why women and mothers don’t want to do anything on their birthday?” content creator and mom-of-four Paige Turner questioned in a recent TikTok.
“Typically they’re saying that because they’re tapped out. They’ve been planning and coordinating for everybody,” she admitted. “Many moms are carrying the mental load for their entire family and need a mental break.”
Even when they agree to do something to celebrate their birthdays, they get stuck planning, decorating, and preparing for it — and probably cleaning up after.
So, while this little boy’s confusion over the lack of decorations for his mom’s birthday seems like a silly little clip, viewers aren’t ignorant in noticing the detail Paige alluded to above. It's yet another example of the unspoken labor many mothers take on.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture and human interest stories.