Over the past several years, many parents have taken to social media to vent about other parents’ expectations when it comes to kids’ birthday parties. Though parents have shared a lot of wild stories on TikTok and other platforms, a Build-A-Bear Workshop birthday party that didn’t go as planned definitely stands out.
An aunt took to social media to explain that she took her niece to a young girl’s seventh birthday party where all the kids built their own bears. Then, much to everyone’s surprise, the birthday girl’s mom told all of the kids to give their bears to the birthday girl.
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The birthday party invitation noted each child would have the opportunity to build a bear.
The story originally went viral on Reddit and started circulating again when TikTok user @unpluggedmoments shared the story in a video on the platform in February. According to the video, the aunt reviewed the birthday party invitation before taking her niece to the party. It read that to celebrate Sarah’s seventh birthday, everyone would meet in the mall food court for lunch before going to Build-A-Bear Workshop.
The invite specified that “every child will be able to build a Build-A-Bear.” After building a bear, the party guests would go to Sarah’s house for cake and ice cream.
They went to Build-A-Bear and realized the birthday girl’s mom didn’t book a party.
Build-A-Bear offers birthday party packages, which include photo opportunities, a party leader, and a furry friend for each guest, among other things. Upon arriving at the store, the aunt realized the birthday girl’s mom did not book one of these parties, so the children were treated as normal guests at the store. Eight kids attended the birthday celebration, including Sarah.
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The birthday girl’s mom paid for everything.
Each child at the birthday party built a bear and selected accessories. The birthday girl’s mom paid for everything. The aunt explained in the video clip that she told her niece they would stick to a $35 budget. Her niece picked out some extra accessories for her bear, however, so the aunt covered the cost of those items herself.
After purchasing the bears, the mom took a photo â and asked the kids to hand over their bears.
Presumably, the kids at the birthday party built their bears and selected the accessories thinking that they’d be able to take their new furry friends home, but that is not what happened. Instead, the birthday girl’s mom took a group photo, thanked the party guests for building the bears, and asked them to give them to Sarah. She said the stuffed toys were actually gifts for Sarah for her to “remember you by.”
The aunt was confused, but she also questioned herself. Was she wrong for assuming her niece would be able to keep her bear? The birthday girl’s mom, however, added that the kids would get goodie bags later. The aunt thought maybe the party guests would be reunited with their new furry friends at that point.
Later, at the birthday girl’s house, they had cake and ice cream â and still didn’t get their bears.
@unpluggedmoments Niece didnât get to keep the Build Better from Sarahâs 7th Birthday party. Reddit storyteller. Reddit stories. #birthday #birthdayparty #reddit #birthdaygirl #buildabear #birthdaycake #birthdaygift #birthdaysurprise ⏠original sound – Unplugged Moments
Instead, they had “game time,” which really meant watching Sarah play with all of her new furry friends. The aunt shared in the video that she decided to confront the birthday girl’s mom and ask her what exactly was going on. Speaking to the mom, the aunt said, “On the invite it said that the kids could build a bear.”
The mom confirmed this but said she meant “build a bear for Sarah to keep.” Notably, the invitation did not actually say this. Ultimately, the aunt decided to leave the party early and take her niece back to Build-A-Bear.
On TikTok, many people sided with the aunt and couldn’t comprehend why the birthday girl would need so many bears. “Why would sarah need 8 bears đ” one person questioned. A second TikTok user assumed the mom knew exactly what she was doing. “She didnât put that on the invitation on purpose,” the commenter shared.
Sadly, a lot of people assumed the mom’s actions would affect Sarah. “Sarah is gonna be having a lot of family only parties for a while,” one person wrote. Another TikTok user worried that the “mom single handedly ended all of her daughterâs friendships.”
