A mommy blogger is going viral for her “unique” birthday party choices for her 1-year-old — and not the good kind of viral…
TikTok influencer Rachel Gibbs made a video on Monday explaining her unorthodox twist for her daughter Hazel‘s first birthday party. She decided it would be different from her son’s, which took place last year. Among the surprising changes causing chatter in her community? The party would take place at 9:30 a.m. and only last an hour and a half, there would only be coffee and snacks, ZERO games!
If you’re thinking this doesn’t sound like a child’s birthday party at all, you aren’t alone! But the way she sees it, she’s giving her friends their whole day back by not making a big thing of it — since the baby won’t remember anyway! We mean, fair enough but then… why still have the party at all by that logic? Well…
Her next big change — and the most controversial by far — was telling her guests to not bring ANY gifts to her daughter! Instead she added that if her guests must bring her baby girl a gift, it should be $5 to donate toward a fund to renovate her yard. She detailed:
“I specifically, very clearly, put on the invitations ‘Please, do not bring gifts.’ And then I said, ‘If you feel inclined to bring something, consider $5, because we’re trying to remodel, redo our yard. Our backyard is a train wreck. Bring us five bucks to help us redo our backyard. That’s what we’re asking. But she does not need anything.”
Um… Sorry, WHAT?! This is sounding less like an unusual birthday party and more like a VERY unusual grift! $5 for your yard reno project?? That’s not something to ask these people for! They aren’t just there to pay a “you had a baby” tax! They’re coming to actually bring gifts for a child they care about! How cynical!
But it gets worse. She said she doesn’t want the crappy gifts people would buy anyway:
“I am very picky. I don’t want you to buy s**t for my kids.”
See the video (below):
@rachonlife Cannot wait to celebrate HP’s first trip around the sun but I am not ready for her to grow up ❤️???? #rachonlife #firstbirthday #firstbirthdayparty #babybirthday
Unsurprisingly the mom of two was met with TONS of backlash on the video sharing platform, with many comments saying she was “no fun” or going as far as to say she was going to regret her decisions one day. Yow! Some comments even suggested she wasn’t treating her daughter equally to her son because of the differences in their parties. Lots of opinions here!
Related: TikTok Star Kyle Marisa Roth’s Autopsy Done — But Cause Of Death Could Take MONTHS!
Because of all the chaos below her original clip, Rachel decided to make a video in response on Wednesday, where she broke down in tears while explaining her choices. She said she’d be “taking a little break” from TikTok after followers called her “the s**ttiest mom on the planet” or that she “doesn’t love Hazel”:
@rachonlife I dont let negative comments get to me, but man today has been rough. Ill check in in a few days. #rachonlife
The influencer then spoke to People on Wednesday to defend herself with a little more poise, saying:
“The ‘lazy’ comments I can’t be surprised by. I’m a full time content creator, so I’m used to people always having an opinion. The ‘cheap’ comments surprised me. We wanted to have a party for our daughter but didn’t want to spend tons of money. We also didn’t want to obligate our friends into spending unnecessary money on toys, books, clothes or memberships … because our kids have everything they could ever need (they both have 529s too!).”
Her break from the video platform didn’t last long, as she made a new TikTok soon after this to say she didn’t realize her concepts were so new, and assumed lots of people had done them. She also noted the “yard renovations” were for a playground for her kiddos:
“This isn’t just a tacky thing I put on an invitation. I am requesting that our friends and family come to my daughter’s first birthday party and don’t bring any gifts because we truly do not need anything. We want to get this great playground and it’s going to take some work. So what I’m going to do is have a low-key thing. I’m not going to spend a ton of money on It because I don’t want my friends and family to spend a ton of money. And it’s not about spending a ton of money, it’s about being together and getting the people that you love together and having a good time. I know that my kids are gonna have the best time.”
@rachonlife Replying to @anna dawson i truly didnt realize this was a new concept for so many people ???????????????????????????????????????? #rachonlife #momlife
She probably should’ve mentioned it was for a playground in the first place! Definitely puts a new perspective onto the whole thing…
What do U think, Perezcious readers? Let us know what you think of Rachel’s party plans (below).
[Image via Rachel Gibbs/TikTok/Instagram]
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