At his daughter’s birthday sleepover, Carter watches in dismay as an entitled teen mocks the festivities and undermines his daughter’s joy. Determined to restore the party’s spirit, Carter and his wife hatch a plan that could either mend hearts or deepen the divide.
Hi, everyone. My name is Carter, and I’ve got a story about how my wife, Nicole, and I dealt with an entitled teen who ruined our daughter’s sleepover birthday party.
A smiling young girl holding pink and white balloons | Source: Pexels
So, last Saturday, we threw a sleepover birthday party for our daughter, Jane. She just turned 14 and was super excited to have five of her friends over for the night. We planned everything down to the last detail to make sure it was perfect for her.
One of the girls Jane invited was Emily. Now, from the moment Emily walked in, I could tell she was a spoiled brat. The doorbell rang, and when I opened the door, there she was, staring down at her phone.
A young girl about to blow her birthday candles | Source: Unsplash
She didn’t even look up to say hi or acknowledge us. She just walked in, handed me her jacket without a word, and continued scrolling on her phone. Nicole and I exchanged a look, silently agreeing that this girl was something else.
Throughout the night, Emily was glued to her phone, doing whatever 14-year-olds do on phones these days. I initially thought she might be shy or embarrassed since she didn’t seem to be interacting with the other girls.
A young girl wearing headphones and using her phone | Source: Pexels
But then Jane told me that Emily was considered a “super duper cool girl” at school. Anyway, towards the end of the night, Jane starts to open her gifts. All the girls gathered around her, giggling and chatting.
Jane was smiling, clearly having a good time. But then there was Emily, sitting on the edge of the group, still on her phone, making little comments about each gift Jane unwrapped. She wasn’t exactly snarky, but you could tell she was just unimpressed.
Youngsters singing happy birthday while holding gifts and balloons | Source: Pexels
“Oh, another stuffed animal. Cute, I guess,” Emily muttered when Jane opened a plush toy from one of her friends.
Jane tried to ignore her and kept opening her gifts. The final gift was from Nicole and me. We had saved up to buy her an iPhone 10.
I knew it wasn’t the latest model, but it was a big deal for us, and Jane had been wanting a phone for a while.
A silver iPhone X with Airpods | Source: Pexels
When Jane saw the phone, her eyes lit up. “Oh my gosh, thank you, Mom and Dad!” she exclaimed, hugging us both. But then Emily scoffed loudly.
“An iPhone 10? Seriously? That’s so old. I have the newest one,” she said, waving her phone around.
I felt a flash of anger but kept my cool. “Jane, let me help you set it up,” I said, trying to keep the mood light. We put in the SIM card, and Jane was thrilled, even if Emily was being a brat about it.
Excited girl looking at her gift with her dad | Source: Pexels
The rest of the night, the girls hung out in Jane’s room. Nicole and I cleaned up downstairs, happy that Jane seemed to be having a good time despite Emily’s attitude.
Later that night, Jane came downstairs for a bit. She looked upset, and when she saw me, she blurted out, “Why couldn’t you have just bought me the newest iPhone?”
I was taken aback. Jane had always been grateful for everything, and this was so out of character for her. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” I asked gently.
A sad teenage girl lying on a pillow | Source: Pexels
Jane sighed, “Nothing, Dad. Never mind.” She left her new phone on the table and went back upstairs.
Nicole and I exchanged worried looks. Something was definitely up. We tried to shake it off and went to bed. But a little while later, I noticed Jane’s phone light up with a notification. I couldn’t help but glance at the screen. It was a message from Emily:
“Aren’t u mad that ur parents and friends got u such lame gifts? Slumber parties are for little girls lol, but wtvs.”
An unrecognizable man checking a smartphone | Source: Pexels
That was it. I felt a surge of protectiveness for Jane.
Nicole and I got up and headed to Jane’s room. We had to deal with this now.
First, we checked on Jane, who was still sound asleep. She had gone to bed hugging her new iPhone. Seeing her peaceful face calmed me a bit, but I knew we had to address the issue with Emily.
We quietly left Jane’s room and went to the guest room where Emily was staying.
A teenage girl lying on an unmade bed | Source: Pexels
“Emily, can you come out here for a second?” I called softly, trying not to wake the other girls.
Emily appeared at the door, still holding her phone. She looked annoyed and confused. “What is it?” she asked, clearly in a mood.
Nicole and I exchanged a quick glance. “You know, we have a tradition where the coolest girl at the party helps clean everything up,” I said, trying to keep my tone light but firm.
“What? No way!” Emily replied, her eyes widening in shock.
A mop on a brown wooden floor | Source: Pexels
“It’s going to be fun, don’t worry,” Nicole added, our voices thick with sarcasm.
Emily looked like she wanted to protest, but we guided her to the living room where the remains of the party lay scattered. Since she was still a young girl, we didn’t want her to feel the full brunt of our anger, so we decided to help her clean up.
As we worked, I took out my phone and showed her the message she had sent to Jane.
A young woman covering her face with her hands | Source: Unsplash
“Look, Emily. This isn’t okay,” I said, showing her the screen.
Emily’s face fell as she read the message. She looked ashamed and started mumbling. “I… I didn’t mean it like that,” she stammered. Eventually, tears welled up in her eyes, and she started crying.
Nicole and I softened a bit, seeing how upset she was. “Emily, why did you send that message?” I asked gently.
A young teenage girl sitting on the floor and crying | Source: Pexels
Through her tears, Emily confessed, “In primary school, girls mocked me for not having a phone. It hurt a lot, and I guess… I didn’t realize I had become just like them.”
She wiped her eyes and looked at us, genuinely remorseful. “I’m really sorry for my spoiled behavior.”
We finished cleaning up and reassured her that it was okay to feel upset, but it’s important to treat others with kindness. “It’s not too late to make things right,” Nicole said softly.
Two young girls sitting on a couch and talking | Source: Freepik
In the morning, we found Emily sitting next to Jane when she woke up. Jane looked confused at first but then Emily started talking.
“Jane, I’m really sorry for what I said and did last night. I was being a jerk, and I promise I’ll never do it again. You’re a great friend, and I’m lucky you invited me to your party.”
Jane looked surprised but smiled. “Thanks, Emily. That means a lot to me.”
Two young girls looking at the camera and smiling | Source: Freepik
Emily turned to us before she left. “Thank you for hosting me and throwing a nice sleepover birthday party. I’m sorry for everything.”
Nicole and I felt a sense of relief. Maybe we had gone a bit overboard, but in the end, Emily understood her mistake and made amends.
So, do you think Nicole and I handled the situation correctly? Or did we go a little too overboard in teaching the youngster a lesson? What would you do in our place?
A teenage girl hugging her father | Source: Pexels
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