'They are so dumb': Mum's rant about deeply traditional birthday party act

"I know it seems mean, but I'm not picking on this parent!"

2 min read

August 1, 2024 - 3:16PM

Parenting

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A mum has announced that she's so "baffled" by the things parents put in kids' birthday party bags, she wonders why they even bother with them at all.

Mum Isabel shared her thoughts recently on TikTok, announcing that she wanted to talk to parents about their 'tacky' habit.

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"Crap like this"

Isabel begins in her controversial clip: "Let's stop doing it.

"I get ranty about things that don't make sense. I want to talk about the party bag and how we should stop doing them because they are so dumb."

She starts to pull things out of a party bag that her son recently received, such as plastic glasses, a fake dart and some sweets that are rock hard.

"These are garbage," she says.

"Maybe your child would enjoy this for about 30 seconds. I will put them in the bin, then I'll feel guilty about doing that, because they served no purpose."

Isabel acknowledges that it would be very expensive to get good quality items for the bags, so she suggests, "Just don't. Be thoughtful and do something else that you think kids will use and that's not a problem for parents."

Isabel says that she got a bunch of "squishy balls" for her son's guests, and that's the most she felt obligated to do.

Finally, she warns against the temptation to put cheap sweets from overseas factories in the bags, because of the high risk of unknown allergens.

"We got the same things in bags last year, over and over, and there's choking hazards and things that will rip their little teeth out," she concludes.

Image: TikTok

"Wow, aren't you a joy to be around?"

Around 500 viewers weighed in on Isabel's take - and not everyone was constructive in their feedback.

One even wrote, "Wow aren’t you just a joy to be around."

Another added, "The spirit of fun and frivolity of childhood. Why do we have to look at everything through the lens of being an adult?"

Later, in the comments section, Isabel clarified: "You guys are missing my point. I’m not suggesting we take away fun from kids, I’m suggesting we make better choices on how we spend our money/time and be thoughtful about usefulness."

There were just as many who loved Isabel's perspective.

"I agree 1000%! I throw most of it away straight away and feel bad also. Last year I gave actual toddler sunglasses with UV protection along with cute stickers and a homemade cookie and 2 chocolates," one shared.

Finally, this person identified that it's a wider issue: "I didn't get wedding favors for this exact reason. I watched people throw them out or leave them! It's a waste."

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