I refused to make cupcakes for my son's bake sale at school for one reason

"The whole family is now calling me a jerk," the woman explains. But is she in the wrong? #AITA

2 min read

July 20, 2023 - 12:35PM

High School

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A mum has taken to a forum to ask the internet whether or not she's in the wrong for refusing to make cupcakes for her son's bake sale at school.

She's recently divorced - something she says was the "best decision" she ever made.

"I was basically a maid for the family, it was awful, not to mention was working at the same time," she shares.

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'I won't put my life on hold'

Now, she has 50/50 custody of her two kids, 14 and 17 and she's enjoying her "days off", cultivating new hobbies and exploring new things.

One of those things is a models club. "You build models and show them off, we met once a month to show off our creations, I love it," the mum explains.

However, things went left when her 17-year-old son asked her to make cupcakes for the school's bake sale, right before she had to leave for one of her meetings.

Turns out, he had volunteered for the bake sale earlier in the week and didn't tell her.

Now it was the eve before the bake sale and, "He was panicking about not having it done."

She flat-out refused and walked out the door to make it on time to her club.

Surprise, surprise, the cupcakes weren't made and the son spent the evening hanging out with his friend.

She continues, "We got in a huge fight in the morning about me not helping him out. I wasn’t putting my life on hold for a simple mistake he did. He left for his father's house and my ex also got into an argument with me about it and called me a jerk."

Image: IStock

'A lack of planning on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on mine'

Commenters overwhelmingly sided with the mum, however they also gave her some feedback about how she could have dealt with the situation better before it turned into a full on family feud.

The top comment read: "It’s not your fault he volunteered himself to make the cupcakes, forgot to inform you of this, neglected to make the cupcakes, and then chose to hang out with his friend when he could have cancelled and made the cupcakes.

"Your son needs to learn how to prioritise his responsibilities over his wants and learn that neglecting his responsibilities has consequences."

"Your son was irresponsible, you weren't. He is awfully entitled, too," a different forum user commented.

Then this person agreed, saying, "He's 17, not six. He should have asked before volunteering you. He should have told you when he volunteered you. He should have given you the date for your diary. He then should have helped you bake them.

"He could quite easily have gone to the shops before school to cover his ass. Instead, he threw a toddler tantrum and ran to daddy's. Your ex should mind his business as he no longer has any say in how you run your household."

Another advised: "It was as simple as saying, 'Lack of planning on your part doesn't constitute an emergency on mine.' No need to go all dramatic about how 'I'm not putting my life on hold for you.' That was completely unnecessary."