Mom brings cleaning products as a ‘thoughtful gift’ to kid’s birthday — not everyone got her point

A mother’s controversial take on bringing gifts to kids’ birthday parties has ignited stern reactions from parents. TikTok creator Turan Spidey’s Mum (@turan.spideys.mum) revealed her “favorite present” to gift children on their special day, but it’s against the archetype that some parents loved while most condemned it as “weird.” The mom’s birthday present is more for the parents of the child because she believes gifting a beautifully wrapped present with a plastic toy inside, like everyone else, does not serve a better purpose. 

She opened up about her extraordinary gift while heading to a family birthday party with her son, Turan. She noted how every other guest brings a plastic toy for the child as presents, which eventually gets tossed out of the house as the kid grows up. “The last thing I want to do to the parents of the child is to give them some present for the kid that’s going to end up in a landfill, a whole bunch of clutter that needs tidying and cleaning,” the mom divulged. Showcasing her bag full of cleaning products, Turan Spidey’s Mum shared that she likes to bring over a “bag of rags” to help the birthday kid’s parents help clean up the mess after the party. 

“I bring cleaning rags to wipe up sticky messes at the party. I bring Glad Wrap because everyone wants to help, but nobody knows where to find the Glad Wrap, or the family has run out of Glad Wrap,” the poster explained. She suggested using the wrap to preserve the extra food at the party, thus cutting down on food waste. Amongst other things that she brought, Turan's mom also threw in a bottle of dishwashing detergent, cleaning products, and several tea towels. The sole reason behind her idea of the perfect gift, which she kept reiterating, was that most people offer to help out but can never find the cleaning items. 

The mom’s thoughtful gesture backfired as several viewers reacted with criticism. Her well-meaning effort failed to resonate with @jr77767, saying, “That’s not a present. The real Karen of the party.” “Imagine rocking up to a children’s birthday party with cleaning products,” laughed @userhello88. “That’s actually embarrassing and offensive to the parents of this child,” stated @frenchiesrbest and @sineadnore94 said, "This has all taken a weird turn, Amanda." However, a rare comment by @claim.without.sound expressed, “This is so thoughtful. As a mama, I appreciate this so much.”

Moved by her kind words, the TikTok mom shared additional thoughts on the outburst of negative reactions from people in a follow-up post. She clarified that she does not actually hand over a bag of rags to the birthday kid, but instead uses the products to “wipe tables” and “collect rubbish” in an effort to help out the parents. “And then I take my bag of rags home with me after the party. And mamas get it, A lot of other people didn’t get it,” she added. She cared to mention her actual gift for the child, which was “more time with the parents” by allowing them to clean up faster and spend more family time post-party. 

You can follow @turan.spideys.mum on TikTok for more videos.