When you take your kids out to dinner to celebrate their birthday, it's not unusual to organise a special moment in which the staff bring out a birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday. And while some kids find the attention horrifying, others love it and it will make their whole day.
However, one dad has been left shocked after he sang Happy Birthday to his five-year-old son at a restaurant - as it wasn't his child who had an issue with the song, it was his fiancée. The woman vented her frustrations online as she said she was "embarrassed" to hear her partner sing to his child, and fumed at him when the celebrations were over.
Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here.
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's 5th birthday was a few days ago, and Ned took us out to a restaurant to celebrate. The place was nice, but looked a bit unfitting for the occasion because it was a somewhat expensive place.
"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 stunned I almost dropped my plate. He was singing it at the top of his lungs, not even looking around or paying attention to how many people staring at us awkwardly. I felt so embarrassed I kept whispering for him to stop but he ignored me.
"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 said she was even more annoyed that her partner took so long to notice she was upset, at which point she told him he had "embarrassed" her by singing to his son.
Her partner told her he was only trying to make his son's birthday special, especially as him mum is ill, but the woman was still furious at him.
She added: "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 shocked saying he didn't get why I would be embarrassed by him celebrating his son's birthday and cheering him up. I told him we could've done this at home when we'd be more comfortable and free. He took it as [though] I was ashamed of him and his son but I denied it and said that it just felt awkward and embarrassing - maybe because I've never been in this situation and also judging from the restaurant we were at.
"He said that his son's mum is sick and he's trying to do all he can to cheer him up and that all families do that and no one had an issue with that except me. Then when I tried to explain, he got mad and said he no longer felt like talking. We haven't been speaking since then. It appears he's still salty about me saying what I said and insinuating that I see him and his son as an embarrassment."
Commenters were firmly on the dad's side in the debate, with many saying he was doing a nice thing for his child, and she shouldn't prioritise her own feelings of embarrassment over 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."
While another added: "It's not embarrassing to sing Happy Birthday to a child. It is, however, super embarrassing to look p***ed off at a person singing happy birthday to a child at the same table as you."
And a third wrote: "The kid is only 5, but you're the one acting like a child. It's natural that his dad wants to celebrate with him. Who cares if someone hears him sing? You should be grateful that you have a boyfriend who makes it clear that he loves and wants to celebrate with his little boy.
"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."
Do you have a story to sell? Get in touch with us at yourmirror@trinitymirror.com .
