A mum took her son to his friend's seventh birthday party but when the birthday cake came out, her child decided to blow their candles out so she reprimanded him - but other parents didn't approve10:42, 26 Jun 2026A mum was branded “harsh” after telling her son off for blowing out a seven-year-old’s candles at his birthday party.‌Birthdays are typically a time for celebration, regardless of a person’s age, as another year around the sun is seen as a positive privilege that ought to be marked. For children, birthday parties are an exciting time with balloons, bouncy castles, cake, sweet treats, entertainment and more often on offer. Unfortunately, there has been a growing trend among some parents where they allow their son or daughter to blow out other people’s birthday candles.‌This could be on their older relatives’ or siblings’ birthdays, with the birthday person expected to put up and shut up while a child gets their spittle all over their birthday cake.‌One mum pushed back against this trend at a recent birthday party with her son, though. On Reddit, she explained: “While at a seven-year-old birthday party, kids kept blowing out the birthday candle so the parents had to keep relighting it.“My son then also blew the candle out before the birthday boy was finally able to make that happen.“Once that was done, I called my son over and told him that his behaviour was not cool, and that we don’t take the moment away from other people like that. I did not yell, but I did speak sternly.”‌Her son wasn’t upset at being told off and “went on his way and resumed playing with the other kids” but the mum noted “no other parents said anything to their kids about blowing out the candles".Later though, another mum came to confront her. She continued: “A mum came up to me and told me that I ‘was too hard on him’, and that ‘he is really cute and sweet, and it is a birthday party’.‌“I told her that I am going to correct his behaviour even if he is cute and if we are at a party, because he was being rude to the host and he does know better than that.”In the comments section, fellow Reddit users were keen to share their thoughts, with many praising the mum for reprimanding her child.One person said: “So the mum could not be bothered to correct her kid(s), but definitely thought it would be okay to correct you?”‌Another said: “Teacher here. This is why our classrooms are out of control. We message that other mum about her kid and she replies with, ‘Well he says he didn't do it and that you're always targeting him.’ And no consequences are to be had and the cycle continues.”A third commented: “You sound like the only parent who gently reprimanded their child. That poor birthday kid, having all these kids blowing the candle out on their cake.”While a fourth agreed: “If you don't have boundaries and teach kids how to respect them, they won't know how to set their own or say no to others.”Article continues belowAnd someone else said: “This kind of thing is why society is in shambles! So many people don’t call out their kids on their bad behaviour and those kids grow up to be entitled adults who think the world revolves around them.”In a follow up comment, the mum added: “I am a bit concerned about the kids and families that he is in a [class] with, especially compared to my older son, but hopefully he will find his group of friends with similar values and we can foster the relationships with those families.“Have a nice day! And may you all get to blow out your own candles but you share your birthday cake with many.”