A dad on TikTok was served a lesson on childhood trauma after he filmed himself throwing cake at a toddler as a joke.
User @garbagemouth stitched their reaction to the viral video, which has been viewed more than 13,500 times by Tuesday. It shows the dad grabbing whipped cream from a plate of cake and throwing it at the face of a child beside him.
The camera then pans to show a little girl covered in whipped cream.
@garbagemouth #stitch with @Armando Vasquez therapy is expensive. #rant #embarassing #childhoodtrauma ♬ original sound – Garbage Mouth
The cake toss may have been a joke to the dad, but @garbagemouth believes that the painful moment could serve as the catalyst for childhood trauma later in life—and expensive therapy bills.
“You know it’s amazing what a person can recall from their childhood that upset them or embarrass them or traumatize them,” the TikToker addressed the dad while using a lemon filter.
They gave their own example from when they were around the same age as the little girl in the video.
“My father used to think it was hysterical to throw a blanket over my head and then pretend to trap me underneath it,” they said.
The Daily Dot reached out to @garbagemouth via TikTok comment.
What seemed like an innocent prank at the time later resulted in claustrophobia (extreme fear of confined spaces) for the TikTok user.
“If a blanket even accidentally goes over my head now as a fully grown adult, I get panicky, like I’m a child again,” they shared. “You embarrassed her. You know she’s a baby.”
The TikToker then asked the dad in the video to reflect on his own childhood and the painful moments he remembers.
In the comments, viewers agreed with @garbagemouth’s assessment and were shocked at the dad’s actions toward an innocent toddler.
“I don’t know why they thought this was funny,” a user wrote. “That poor child.”
“He threw that very hard also!” observed another. “The way I gasped. Why do people do that stuff?!” added a third.
Viewers were worried about the impact the moment would have on the child. “She might carry the feelings without the memories which is even worse for her,” this person shared.
“It’s more than embarrassment it’s fear and insecurity,” another wrote. “He hit her in the face for no reason at all. she’ll never forget that.”
The video caused many users to think back on their own childhoods and old wounds caused by their families.
“One of my first memories is being around the age of that little girl and getting a beating for something I didn’t mean to do,” this woman wrote. “It sticks with you.”
“My dad once stuffed brussel sprouts down my throat when I didnt eat my veggies at dinner. im 41 and still remember it,” another shared.
“Girl yesss!!! I clearly remember my mom and aunt laughing at me being stuck in a sleeping bag,” a commenter wrote. “I was soo afraid my brother came in mad yelling at them.”
