TikTok mom says a fellow mom publicly humiliated her toddler at the park over birthday cake

There are some moms who pack the kids in the car and head to the local park without a second thought. And then there are moms (like yours truly) who sometimes overthink and overanalyze all the things that could go wrong at the park—because playgrounds can be stressful! Influencer and TikTok mom Kat Stickler recently shared a story about how her daughter was treated during a park play sesh, and the story is so wild, you have to hear it to believe it.

“I’m gonna mom shame. The only people I’ve ever mom-shamed are myself and my own mother. But one other mom is going to be added to the list because, what the f,” Stickler begins. “Am I entitled, or is this messed up?”

If you follow Stickler on social media, you probably already know that while she does share her daughter, MK, on TikTok and Instagram, she keeps the content pretty light as far as personal tidbits about MK.

Until this story, which honestly begs to be shared—it’s easy to see why she’d want the input of fellow moms on this one.

She says she and MK were at the park and there was a whole group of people already there for a kid’s birthday party. Stickler says she was very aware that they had a party going on that she and MK were obviously not a part of, but the kids and MK still played together very sweetly for awhile. Since they were the only other people at the park, and they weren’t technically part of the party, the fellow kids invited MK to play and join in on singing “Happy Birthday.”

“She’s one of the group now, alright,” Stickler explains. “They’re welcoming her with open arms. Or so I thought. I was wrong.”

The time came for everyone to eat cake. Again, Stickler makes it very clear she knew they were being included by the fellow kids out of kindness, and not because she and MK were entitled to be part of the birthday party.

“Time to eat cake. I see MK. I see her intention of grabbing a piece of cake,” Stickler continues. “So, I walk over to make sure it’s okay, as a formality. Honestly, I was like, ‘Obviously, it’s OK. It’s a cake. It’s a massive cake. There’s lots of leftover pieces.'”

Now this is where the whole “parents at the park have wildly different parenting styles and you’d think that wouldn’t cause a clash at the playground, but of course it does because that’s what happens at the park” overthinking thing feels valid (to yours truly, anyway).

The birthday kiddo’s mom was not on board with cake-sharing, it turns out.

“The mother takes the plate away from MK, gets down to her level, and says, ‘You cannot eat this cake. This is not your birthday party. These are not your friends. Where’s your mother?'”

Sigh.

It would be one thing if this were, like, a Reddit AITA post that described how Stickler and her daughter barged in on this party intentionally and Stickler demanded cake. But this is…not that. While it’s true MK wasn’t part of the party, she was playing with the other kids. And she’s a tiny little toddler, not a gaggle of uninvited tweens! Plus, if that mom really spoke to her the way Stickler described, my goodness is that uncalled for.

Her followers agree.

The cake didn’t get me… “these are not your friends” is such a catty messed up thing to say to anyone, let alone a child.

The only appropriate response is, “run and ask your mom if you’re allowed to have cake”. Reengages the parent & gives you a second to count the slices.

Though one mom said MK should have been offered cake, but shouldn’t have joined the party: Soooo, I would have given that child cake in a heart beat of the parent was ok with it. I also, would have never let my child join the party uninvited.

What are your thoughts? How would you have handled the situation?