Grab your popcorn, folks, because today’s tale is juicier than a Thanksgiving turkey! This saga comes straight from the wild, wild west of Reddit: a real-life drama that’ll have you hooked from start to finish.
So here’s the lowdown. Yours truly, Joan, brings you the scoop on a rollercoaster of teenage drama and angry parent rants. Picture this: Our leading lady (36F), whom we’ll call Mrs. Incognito, has a fabulous 13-year-old daughter, Little Incognito, whose birthday plans would make any kid do cartwheels. They’ve booked this trampoline park that’s the stuff of preteen dreams, offering sleepovers complete with movies and non-stop bouncing fun.
Plot Twist: The Mysterious Extra Seat
Now, Little Incognito goes to a school that’s so small, it boasts only 20 students in her entire year. Can you imagine? As Mrs. Incognito is sorting out the invitations, her darling daughter insists they only need 19 places. Mrs. Incognito, trusting her offspring’s counting skills more than her mental math, books the party for 19 kiddos. What could possibly go wrong?
Fast forward to party time, and who shows up but Kamilla, clutching enough gifts to make Saint Nicholas look like a cheapskate. This girl’s got bears, perfume, the whole shebang! It’s like she’s trying to win BFF of the Year.
Drama Unleashed: The Confrontation
But wait! Kamilla gets a less-than-warm reception from Little Incognito, who practically shoves her away. Apparently, Kamilla is out of the invited-in crowd, though Mrs. Incognito seems to have missed that memo.
Our protagonist’s mom skills kick in, and she tries to smooth things over. “We totally forgot to book your spot, sweetie. Let me fix this.” Mama Bear offers the golden ticket to the trampoline extravaganza, but Little Incognito stands firm, insisting Kamilla can’t come. You’d think Kamilla had a contagious disease the way our birthday girl is acting.
Clueless Parenting: A Balancing Act
Here’s where Mrs. Incognito earns her Clueless Parent badge. She asks her sweet darling why Kamilla’s getting the cold shoulder, and her daughter — with the nonchalance of a reality TV star — explains that Kamilla’s “weird” and “obsessive.” Kids today, am I right? One minute you’re BFFs, the next, you’re ousted like a contestant from Survivor.
Kamilla’s heart is shattered. She’s in tears, and her mom is fuming. To make matters worse, Kamilla’s mom accuses Mrs. Incognito of being a full-grown bully perpetuating birthday party tyranny. You can just imagine the PTA meetings now, can’t you?
Setting Boundaries or Plain Bullying?
Here’s where things get spicy. Mrs. Incognito lays down the law: “It’s my daughter’s party, and she’ll exclude who she wants to.” She’s all about teaching Little Incognito the art of setting boundaries. Now, I get it. In an age where self-care is practically a religion, no one wants their kid to be a doormat. But does it really mean excluding Kamilla, who, let’s be honest, just wanted to be part of the fun?
The plot thickens! Kamilla’s mom, not one to back down, decides to take the issue up to the teachers, demanding Little Incognito face the music for “bullying.”
The Verdict: Who’s Really the A**hole Here?
Alright, let’s break it down. Mrs. Incognito stood by her decision to back her daughter’s right to choose her friends, but at what cost? Kamilla’s mom’s reaction might have been over the top, but let’s face it; Kamilla was devastated and probably felt like a reject from the island of misfit toys.
From my lofty perch, it’s tempting to call everyone involved a tad extra. On one hand, sure, kids should learn to set boundaries, but on the other, empathy isn’t a bad life skill to cultivate either. We live in a society, people. Birthday party snubs have long-term ramifications, like rival TV show networks and long-running bad blood.
Joan’s Final Take
Let’s draw this to a close with some classic Joan flair. Mrs. Incognito, you’re NTA for wanting to respect your daughter’s wishes, but honey, a little more empathy wouldn’t have hurt. Little Incognito should learn that setting boundaries doesn’t have to mean excluding others entirely. A “we need to talk” moment could’ve saved this whole circus.
To the parents out there, here’s Joan’s golden nugget: Teach your kids to set boundaries and be kind. Kamilla’s mom needs to chill a bit, but Mrs. Incognito, maybe a little more gut check and a little less “line in the sand” next time.
Until then, stay fabulous and keep the drama coming! 😘
Original story
My (36F) daughter’s (13F) birthday was last weekend. There’s this trampoline park in town that offers sleepover parties where the kids could play for a few hours, watch a movie, and have a sleepover on the trampolines.
Her school is very small, so there are only 20 students in her entire year. When we were booking the event, she said to only book 19 places.
I asked her if she was sure she wasn’t missing out someone, but she assured me there were only 19 kids in her class, and I was just misremembering.
Fast forward to her birthday, and this girl “Kamilla” shows up with an entire box full of gifts: teddy bears, perfume, candles, nail polish, flowers, chocolates, etc. I remembered picking up my from school at the beginning of the school year and seeing her chatting and being very friendly with Kamilla, so I assumed they were quite good friends.
When Kamilla went up to hug my daughter and wish her a happy birthday, she lightly pushed her away and told Kamilla she couldn’t attend as we forgot to book her place. I apologised to Kamilla and her mother and offered to talk to the people in charge and pay for her place, but my daughter insisted that Kamilla couldn’t come.
Kamilla was very distraught over this and started sobbing.
I pulled my daughter aside and asked her why Kamilla couldn’t join, even though they used to be friendly and she’d invited every other student in her year. She said that Kamilla was just really weird, obsessive, and creepy, and she didn’t want to be friends with her anymore.
I asked her if Kamilla was bullying her, and she said no, she just didn’t want to be around Kamilla. Kamilla’s mother had found out about the party through another parent and Kamilla decided to surprise my daughter knowing she hadn’t been given an invite.
I returned the gifts to Kamilla, apologised again, and gently told her that there weren’t enough spaces. Her mother started screaming at me, telling me that I was a grown adult woman bullying a preteen girl.
I told her that it was my daughter’s birthday party, she could invite whoever she wanted. She accused me of raising my daughter to be a bully, and that she couldn’t just invite the entire class and exclude one girl.
She claimed that Kamilla was my daughter’s “best friend” and she had to right to be invited.
I told her that my daughter’s a teenager, not a 5 year old, she can’t be forced to invite the entire class just to be nice. I said that I didn’t want to raise a doormat.
I didn’t want to teach her to value the feelings of others at the expense of her own – if my daughter feels uncomfortable around someone, then I prioritise HER wellbeing over that of a stranger’s.
Kamilla’s mother is now talking to the teachers to punish my daughter for “bullying”. I’ve tried explaining to her that my daughter was simply setting her boundaries, she shouldn’t have to face consequences for that.
Kamilla’s mother said that I was an “evil b*tch” who “took joy in bullying little girls”. AITA?