When a single mom named Elizabeth Teckenbrock shared a video on TikTok of her crying while making birthday cupcakes, tons of drama followed that divided the internet. And for many people, this level of post-relationship drama sadly hits home and feels all too familiar.
In addition to some people claiming to be Team Elizabeth and others saying they are Team Andrew, her ex-husband, others feel this type of situation should stay behind closed doors and especially off the internet where everyone has an opinion.
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ICYMI – This Is What Started It All!
About a week ago, Elizabeth shared a video on TikTok showing her making her own birthday cupcakes with the caption, “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.”
The short but to-the-point video received more than 59 million views and 152,000 comments! The comment section was quite divided with some feeling bad for Elizabeth, others understanding her emotions, and then some sharing negative thoughts saying she’s looking for attention.
And then her ex-husband entered the chat. After catching wind of her viral video, he shared a video explaining his side of the story, which was basically showing what he called proof and bashing her. That’s when things got even more divided and drama-filled.
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With so many random people sharing their opinions, these two have the entire internet basically in their business and both of them seem to be okay with that. But neither of them seemed to realize that one day this could reach their children. What’s posted on the internet stays on the internet and even if they wiped both their pages, there are screenshots and video saved all over the place.
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A Lawyer On TikTok Shared Why This Type Of Behavior Is So Detrimental
An Arizona divorce and family law attorney on TikTok shared a video explaining why the behavior of posting your personal business such as Elizabeth and Andrew is not a good thing at all.
“54 million views! It’s a mom crying making her own cupcakes for her birthday saying she’s a single mom and she has to make her own birthday cake and she’s really sad about it,” the attorney said. “54 million views, but that’s not where things get crazy. The father of her children responded. He did his own stitch.”
She then explained that Andrew’s entire TikTok account “seems to be about bashing her.” She said that he showed proof that Elizabeth had a criminal record, is behind on child support, and that he has custody of the children.
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“As a family law attorney, both of these videos reek of high-conflict parenting behavior,” she continued. “I don’t like mom’s video crying about how she’s a single mom and getting 54 million views. And then dad’s behavior of completely bashing mom for it. To me, both of these videos are problematic and it’s incredibly important that you are intentional and careful about what you post online if you are divorced or post-divorce.”
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I Shared My Opinion And Received Emails From Viewers Who Wanted To Share Their Thoughts And Stories
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I wrote a story about Elizabeth’s drama and then shared a follow-up to that story sharing my opinion. And while I didn’t say I was Team Elizabeth or Team Andrew, I did basically explain that I’m Team Kids!
I don’t feel that sharing videos such as the one Elizabeth did, knowing her ex loves to bash her publicly, was the smartest move if she wants to keep some level of peace. Involving the entire internet wasn’t going to go anywhere good. And I wasn’t the only person who felt that way.
The people who sent me emails sharing their stories would like to remain anonymous so I’ll just give them aliases.
One person who we’ll call Stacy shared that Andrew was also involved in domestic violence with another woman besides Elizabeth. In fact, it showed up in multiple court records, according to Stacy.
“Having been a victim of domestic violence myself, I can assure you that it happened many more times than reported,” she wrote. “Many women drop their cases, out of fear of more violence. They will just about sign anything to get away from that person.”
She also said, “Both parties appear to be bad apples and both owe money.”
“As a single mother, I have made my own birthday cake more than once, but I certainly did not drag it to social media,” she continued. “When you have children, it is best to protect your children, no matter what. Keeping everyone out of the spotlight is the best course of action.”
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Slandering On Social Media Is Way Too Common
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Another email I received from someone we’ll call Mark, shared his own personal story.
Mark was married to “Amy” and had two kids. After Mark got the opportunity to move to a new city for a promotion, things went downhill in their relationship. He moved first to get settled and Amy and the kids stayed in their family home until they could sell it. Mark was just three hours away and would drive home every weekend. He eventually found out about Amy’s “indiscretions” while he was away, but they continued with their relationship.
“The entirety of the next year was filled with fights and drama and lies and broken promises. I tried all I could and forgave more than I should have,” he said. “Then I discovered a plot between Amy and a babysitter of ours. See, the prenup and just basic common sense would show that in a divorce I would end up with everything. They understood this and had to find some way they thought they could win.”
He said the two women tried to get him arrested so Amy could win everything by default, so they began staging situations in their favor. Mark was accused of many horrible things and went through multiple investigations, but thankfully for him, he had tons of evidence to contradict the lies Amy was telling.
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“They began a social media campaign to slander me on every platform they could, they went to city council meetings to complain to the mayor that I wasn’t behind bars, then talked to new agencies and did interviews. Anything they could to win over public opinion, which they did to great effect considering one of their lackeys ended up coming into my backyard one night and attempted to shoot me through a window,” he continued.
“The kids were bullied and outcast at school because the other parents believed Amy and they decided to share that belief with their kids. All the while, I stayed silent, protected myself and my kids, kept them out of it and did what I needed to do to get away from these women. I didn’t want to fan the flames, I didn’t want to air out our laundry in public, I wanted to be the mature adult and just get these things over with.”
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Elizabeth’s TikTok Video Was Too ‘Familiar’ To Mark
TikTok | More Than Elizabeth
For Mark, seeing Elizabeth’s video struck a nerve. He said it was too familiar to his own situation. And I would imagine this is also the case for many other viewers.
“A cry for attention and sympathy from those who hadn’t been given the facts going on behind the scenes. But where as I stayed silent and kept to myself, the ex in her case spoke out and presented evidence. So which is the right path? To allow one to vent and defame while I stayed silent, or to reply and call her out like this guy did?” he shared.
“Well, the adult thing to do would be that everyone should shut up, handle your business, and move on. But that isn’t always an option when one person is so desperate they start publicizing your drama.”