Chances are that by now you’ve heard about Kat Stickler and her birthday cake story. In a video that has been viewed more than 13 million times, Stickler told the story of how her 3-year-old daughter was denied cake at a birthday party she wasn’t invited to. Now, after some reflection on the situation, she revealed the “one regret” she has about how the whole thing went down.
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For those who may not be familiar with Stickler or the birthday party debacle, here’s what happened. Stickler and her daughter were at a park when the little girl began playing with a group of kids celebrating a birthday. When it was time for cake, Stickler’s daughter joined the line for cake, only to be told that she wasn’t allowed to have cake and the kids at the party “were not her friends.” Of course, that was incredibly hurtful for the preschooler, and for Stickler as well. She took to TikTok to share the story and see what others thought about the situation.
In a follow-up to her original video, Stickler shares her appreciation for all of the attention, and shares her thoughts now that time has passed.
“I wanted to take full responsibility for the fact that I should have gotten to MK faster,” she says, referring to reaching her daughter in the cake line. “That’s my one regret. That I did not get to her before she could grab the plate.”
She goes on to add that her issue is not with the mom who didn’t want to share the cake, but with the way the situation was handled.
“She wasn’t invited to the birthday party. She had just met these kids,” Stickler acknowledges about her daughter.
“It’s getting down to a level and telling a 3-year-old girl that those aren’t your friends,” Stickler explained.
As a parent, it has to be hard to hear someone talk to your child in such a manner, especially when young kids think of friendships differently than adults.
“It was cruel, unnecessarily, in my opinion. Like just tell her she can’t have cake, OK,” the mom added.
Stickler is very diplomatic about the situation, and makes it clear that ultimately it was never really about the cake. The adult giving out the cake could have handled the situation in a different way. A gentle “no” or asking the little girl if she was allowed to have cake before giving it to her would have been the best way to handle the situation. That was always the root of her issue, even if it seemed like she was upset about the lack of sharing.
“We don’t have to share our cake, but we should be nice to 3-year-old kids,” the mom said.
