A woman let out her anger when her fiance sang “Happy Birthday” to his 5-year-old son at a restaurant where they were having dinner. She called it “embarrassing.”
When you take your kids out to dinner to celebrate their birthday, it’s common for the staff to bring out a birthday cake and sing “Happy Birthday.” Some kids are horrified by all the attention, but others love it and it makes their whole day.
But one dad was surprised when he sang “Happy Birthday” to his five-year-old son at a restaurant and his fiancée didn’t like it. The woman took out her anger on the Internet by saying she was “embarrassed” to hear her boyfriend sing to his child, and she was angry with him when the party was over.
In a post on Reddit, she said: “I have been with my fiance Ned for a year and a half. He has a five-year-old son with his ex-girlfriend. They don’t have a custody arrangement but he has him most of the week because his mum is currently sick.”
His son turned 5 a few days ago, and to celebrate, Ned took us to a restaurant. The place was nice, but it didn’t seem quite right for the event because it was a bit pricey.
“Anyways, we ordered food and then got the birthday cake, which was a surprise to me because I thought we were going to celebrate at home so we could be free to sing and play however we wanted. I still had no issue with that, until Ned started singing Happy Birthday to his son.”
“I was so shocked that I almost spilled my food. He was singing it at the top of his lungs and didn’t even look around or notice how many people were awkwardly staring at us. I was so embarrassed that I kept telling him to stop in a whisper, but he didn’t listen.”
“Of course, my future stepson was hyped and a little too active which isn’t good when we’re at a public place. I expected the staff or the manager to get involved and stop him but no one did. In fact, some woman came up to us and offered to ‘help him take a video recording’. I wasn’t in it at all. I froze in my seat looking stunned and a little angry.”
The woman told her partner that she was even more upset that it took him so long to realize she was upset. She then told him that he had “embarrassed” her by singing to his son.
Her boyfriend told her that he was just trying to make his son’s birthday special because his mother is sick, but the woman was still mad at him.
She also said, “He looked at me later asking what was wrong. I didn’t say anything except ‘thanks for finally noticing!’. He didn’t understand what I meant and I didn’t explain until we were in the car. I flat-out told him that he embarrassed me the second he started singing in the restaurant.”
“He looked surprised and said he didn’t understand why I would be embarrassed that he was celebrating his son’s birthday and making him feel better. I told him that we could have done this at home, where we would have been more relaxed and at ease. He thought I was ashamed of him and his son, but I told him I wasn’t. I just felt awkward and embarrassed, maybe because I’d never been in this situation before and also because we were in a restaurant.”
“He said that his son’s mother is sick and that he’s doing everything he can to cheer up his son. He said that this is what all families do and that no one had a problem with it except me. Then, when I tried to tell him why, he got angry and said he didn’t want to talk anymore. Since then, we haven’t talked to each other. It looks like he’s still mad at me for what I said and how I made it sound like I think he and his son are a shame.”
Many commenters agreed with the dad, saying that he was doing something nice for his child and that she shouldn’t put her own feelings of embarrassment ahead of the child’s happiness.
One person said, “He gleefully sang happy birthday to his child, whose mother is sick, while you sat there sulking in your anger. You prioritise not being embarrassed over a fun moment between a father and his son. The restaurant staff didn’t think it was inappropriate. It doesn’t seem that you are a good match for someone with kids.”
“It’s not embarrassing to sing “Happy Birthday” to a child,” said another. It is very embarrassing, though, to look mad at someone at your table who is singing “Happy Birthday” to a child.
And a third said, “The kid is only 5, but you’re the one acting like a child. It makes sense that his dad would want to be there with him. What does it matter if people hear him sing? You should be glad that your boyfriend makes it clear that he loves his little boy and wants to celebrate with him.
“Are you ready to be with someone who has a child? Are you willing to share your boyfriend’s time, focus, and attention with his son? Because the son should be his priority.”