Photo: TikTok
First it was Mother's Day, then it was her 65th birthday party, and next it'll be their divorce party.
By Isaac Serna-Diez — Written on Jun 01, 2023
A woman on TikTok named Bryden Marshall shared a story on TikTok calling her own father out for his lack of effort when it comes to doing things for her mom during special holidays.
First, she explains how she and her sister had done everything for their mom on Mother’s Day while their dad did absolutely nothing — “did not buy her flowers, didn’t buy her a gift, didn’t cook, didn’t clean.” But now they’re planning a surprise birthday party for her and hoping to clue their dad into it, but he had a different idea.
Her dad said it would be too stressful and irritating to plan his wife’s 65th birthday party.
“We’re throwing my mom a surprise birthday party, and when my sister and I emailed him about whether or not he’d like to help, this was his response,” Marshall explained at the start of the clip.
“I did not know turning 65 was a big deal which warrants a party. Who knew?” her dad replied sarcastically. “I have no experience planning a party. I do not have the time nor the energy to plan anything.” She was shocked by this admission.
Photo: TikTok
He goes on to list reasons why it would be a poor idea from his perspective, pointing out that he doesn’t know if he’d be allowed time off for the party (his only day off is Sunday), and he also doesn’t have time to prepare the house for multiple guests.
“So, does that mean we have to rent a facility? Then does it need to be catered? Do we have to purchase all the drinks and alcohol?” he goes on to ask, but before he turns it into a large rant and jumps into a rabbit hole, he cuts himself short.
“The more I think about this the bigger it gets and the more stressed I’m getting and the more irritating it is,” he claims, picturing a Gatsby-sized party. “Why can’t we simply have dinner reservations somewhere with the family on a Saturday (in Napa) which will eliminate all the stress and headaches for everyone, though I might not be able to go.”
Despite his reluctance towards planning a party for her mom, she decided to do it anyway.
“So my sister and I have literally paid for everything and planned everything and we even planned the party for his only day off,” Marshall explained. “So, he could attend if he wants to.”
She joked about how odd it was that her father had asked for them all to go to dinner on Saturday, a day that he didn’t have off, but it doesn’t matter because it seems like his intention was never to show up regardless.
“He’s not even coming,” she reveals, referring to her mom’s 65th birthday party. “I love it,” she adds sarcastically. It’s safe to say that he’s not winning any Father of the Year awards, and the comments under her TikTok seem to agree.
“It's crazy, if my husband didn't show up to my birthday on his day off after not helping plan it, we'd be planning a divorce party next,” one person joked. “He said turning 65 isn’t a big deal as if it’s not his literal wife that he’s supposed to celebrate,” someone else argued. “What’s wild is he says he has no experience or ability to plan something and then goes on to list the different ways one could plan something,” a third noted.
It would be a lie to say that every single person in the world enjoys birthdays and the birthday parties that come along with them, but the least — note: very least — you could do is show up to your own wife’s birthday party, regardless of how old she’s turning.
Isaac Serna-Diez is an Assistant Editor who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice, and politics.