You would think a birthday calls for cake, right? Well, not in my household! Picture this: a stepdaughter’s birthday, and instead of cake, we’ve got a health regimen showdown. Yep, you heard me right. Allow me to take you through this dietary drama that’s all the rave on Reddit’s ‘Am I the A******’ subreddit.

Meet our health-conscious heroine, who metaphorically ripped the cake right out from under her stepdaughter’s candle-blowing moment. She’s a mother of two boys, aged eight and ten, from a previous marriage, and has since become stepmom to little Gwen upon marrying her 40-year-old husband. Gwen, who visits her dad’s place two weekends a month, spends most of her time with her biological mom, a woman whose blood type is probably ketchup. Gwen herself, bless her heart, is about 20 pounds heavier than society deems appropriate for a six-year-old. Why worry about the pressures of being six when you can fret about the scales?

In our health-obsessed household, we champion moderation and stress the importance of fitness. Cue eye roll. The boys are constantly encouraged to move, and naturally, Gwen gets roped into this frenzy of activity whenever she visits. Fun times, huh? Teaching kids the distinction between wholesome foods and those devilish treats seems to be the golden rule here.

The proud stepmom narrates how she’s managed to drill this notion into Gwen’s head: “Would you like to make a healthier choice?” becomes the mantra. Astonishingly, Gwen begins to conform, reaching for the fruit bowl like it’s some sort of golden goose.

Reddit’s Rage-Unleashed

But, oh boy, did Reddit have a field day with this! Providing healthy meals? Good job! But trailing kids into the pantry to guilt-trip them into picking an unwanted and supposedly healthier alternative? That’s a hard pass.

“It’s a parent’s job to provide healthy food, not a child’s job to choose it,” one cements, pointing out that at such a young age, kids don’t comprehend calories and shouldn’t have to.

Birthday Blunders

And here comes the birthday fiasco. Gwen’s birthday weekend falls on her visiting schedule. Instead of the sugary joy of cake, our dear health enthusiast suggested a “healthier choice” yet again. Low-fat ice cream became the substitute; it’s a brand Gwen loves, of course. Because nothing says “birthday celebration” quite like compromise.

But hold on, the fun doesn’t end there. Once back with her biological mom, Gwen apparently had a meltdown over this so-called birthday treat, or lack thereof. The angry call from her mom came quicker than Gwen could blow out her imaginary candles. “Her mom called us furious,” she explains. Little Gwen sobbed, lamenting that she didn’t want cake out of fear of “making a bad choice.” What a delightful memory!

‘Creating Eating Disorders’

So, is our valiant mother the villain of the story? Even Reddit thinks so! Overwhelmingly, voices declared her “YTA******.”

“She’s 5! Give the child a goddamn cake on her birthday,” an impassioned Redditor exclaimed. They added how the “good choice/bad choice” rhetoric might grant Gwen lifelong body image issues. Another opined that Gwen lied about not wanting cake out of pure fear—a statement as chilling as it gets. It doesn’t take an expert to see how instilling fear surrounding food paves the way to eating disorders. Someone else chimed in, claiming the stepmom’s self-righteous stance could soon spread body image woes like wildfire.

The takeaway from all this? Everyone deserves a bit of indulgence, especially on their birthday, without facing the Spanish Inquisition of food guilt!

Now, how about you? What’s your take on this culinary kerfuffle? Feel free to weigh in on whether the stepmom’s actions were a necessary evil or just plain evil. This story has lit a firestorm of opinions, so let’s keep that blaze burning!