Single mother defended for crying over making her own birthday cake: ‘You’re so seen’

A single mother has received support online after she filmed herself crying over making her own birthday cake.

In a video posted to TikTok this week, user Elizabeth (@morethanelizabeth) shared footage from her kitchen, where she was baking cupcakes. The mother cried as she poured flour into a bowl, and wiped away tears after filling the baking sheet.

“Being a single mom is making your own birthday cake on your birthday so that your babies can feel happy they are singing to you,” Elizabeth wrote over the video, which was set to “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri. In her caption, the mother added: “Geez I’m tired of hurting.”

Since it was posted earlier this week, her video has received more than 37m views on TikTok. However, not everyone was sympathetic toward Elizabeth’s struggle as a single mom.

“You would never last in a man’s world,” one internet troll commented, while someone else said: “Chill out! I’m married and don’t get a cake.”

“Why are you crying? You clearly need to work on yourself and your kids first,” another person wrote, adding that “being single is better than being with the wrong person”.

In response to the criticism, adult children of single mothers took to the comments section to defend Elizabeth, while also sharing some words of encouragement.

“In case you didn’t hear this today, you’re doing a great job, you are so loved,” one viewer commented. “I would have killed to have a mom like you growing up. I know it’s hard but you’re doing such a good job.”

“I was raised by a single mom,” another person admitted. “And the level of respect and love I have for you and everyone else who has to do it is a lot. You are doing a great job and are a wonderful mom.”

A third user chimed in: “My mom was a single mom for a lot of my life. I watched her cry when she thought no one was watching. You’re so seen. So much respect for you.”

In a follow-up video, Elizabeth explained that she initially recorded herself baking her birthday cake to make fellow single mothers feel less alone. While she acknowledged that she was “being an emotional baby” when she filmed her viral TikTok, she still maintained that “it’s hard” to be a single mother.

“I really can’t even come up with words to say to make someone understand how difficult it is raising kids, and taking care of your house, and doing every single thing completely by yourself and not having a partner,” Elizabeth continued. “There’s no break, it’s exhausting all the time and that cry was probably just out of tiredness.”

She shared that her children later helped her decorate the cupcakes and sang “Happy Birthday” to her.

The Independent has contacted Elizabeth for comment.

Another mother previously went viral on TikTok when she opened up about the difficulties of parenting. “Not everyone’s going to admit to this, but I hate being a mom, sometimes… most of the time,” TikToker Bad Juju said back in September 2023. “I want to be selfish, I want to put myself first, I want to put my mental health first.”

“But with a child with mental health needs it’s like where do I have the time? Where do I have the mental capacity?” the TikToker asked. “No one tells you how patient you need to be.”

While the mother didn’t disclose the age of her child, she did explain that he’s kept her up through the early hours of the morning. “It takes me so much to just hold it in until I can’t anymore. This is me when I can’t. My son kept me up until 6am yesterday. I had four hours of sleep if even that, with a pounding migraine,” she admitted. “I’m just really at my wit’s end.”

Several viewers shared their own candid admissions about the difficulties of parenting in the comments section, while others assured her that she was not alone.

“I’m glad you’re honest. It’s so much pressure put on having kids even from the grandparents. I have always been burdened by familial responsibilities,” one person wrote, while another said: “I applaud your bravery. Not many people would speak like this, and you SHOULD. Thank you.”