Mom Asks If She’s Wrong for Making a Kid Cry at Daughter’s Birthday Party After Not Providing Prizes for Everyone

A mom isn’t sure if she did something wrong after she accidentally made a child cry at her daughter’s birthday party.

The original poster (OP) shared her story on Reddit’s AITA subreddit and explained that she had just celebrated her daughter’s 7th birthday. She said they invited 10 girls, all aged 7 to 8. The party included snacks, sweets, and activities, with a few games that had prizes. There were eight games and eight prizes.

OP said that while parents were allowed to stay, many chose to leave their kids for the party. One girl, whose parents didn’t stay, had a hard time seeing other kids win. OP comforted her and even mentioned that her own daughter gave the girl a small toy to keep.

The next day, OP spoke with the girl’s mother, who is also a close friend. She asked if her daughter had fun and mentioned there had been a few “meltdowns.” When the mother asked if every child received a prize, OP explained that not all games had prizes, but everyone went home with a party favor.

“The mom was a little upset but nothing too bad, and I thought that was it,” OP said. “Then, after I canceled a playdate, she texted me that I made her kid upset/cry twice that week.”

When OP met the mom, she explained that she wasn’t responsible for how the child felt. The mom disagreed, saying it was OP’s choice not to buy prizes for every child.

“I think she wants an apology from me, but I just don’t understand why it’s okay to blame someone else for your child’s feelings,” OP said. “She also said it was supposed to be a fun time for her daughter, but now her kid learned about winning and losing from me—and that’s not my job because I’m not her parent.”

OP asked if she should feel bad for not providing prizes for every child. Many people in the Reddit comments agreed that OP wasn’t at fault.

“One user replied, ‘At 8 years old, if she expects to win every activity, life is going to be very challenging. It’s not your fault as a party planner; it’s the child’s unrealistic expectations.’”

Another user pointed out that all the kids received party favors, so everyone got a prize in the end.

“They said, ‘It’s not your job to manage the big feelings of other people’s kids. It’s reasonable to have prizes for winners, especially since everyone got a goody bag anyway.’”

A third commenter thought it was “weird” that OP had eight prizes for 10 children.

“They said, ‘It’s strange to have eight prizes when 10 kids are attending. That means at least two kids don’t get a prize, and there’s nothing they can do about it.’”