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More Than Elizabeth on TikTok

Elizabeth Teckenbrock Crying In Her Cupcakes Has My Head Spinning!

Home / Opinion / Elizabeth Teckenbrock Crying In Her Cupcakes Has My Head Spinning!

By Melanie VanDerveer on May 26, 2024 at 5:45 PM EDT

I'm seeing red and maybe you are too!

A recently shared video from a single mom named Elizabeth Teckenbrock has really shaken up TikTok, and not solely on her one video, but the drama that followed.

As a single mom myself, who's also been through some rough days, I felt compelled to share my thoughts on this situation and why personal issues should stay off of social media, especially if children are involved.

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Single Mom Shares Emotional Video That Turns Into Massive Online Drama

When I first came across Elizabeth's emotional TikTok video sharing how she felt approaching her birthday, I was immediately conflicted. I get it, but I also don't. That feeling was short-lived though...

My thought process immediately took me to, I understand and I feel for her. But then my logic quickly stepped in and redirected me wondering why anyone would film themselves being emotional while baking cupcakes.

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It seemed odd to me that anyone would film that moment, but then I considered the fact that maybe it's all about helping others to not feel so alone if they are dealing with the same situation. And that's where I left my thoughts: Let's share our stories to help others! That's a big part of what TikTok is all about and I'm here for it! (This feeling was based on the thought that Elizabeth didn't have a whole lot of drama following her around that would soon surface.)

But then, the drama set in.  And this drama revolves around children who could one day see the videos and end up with their own perspectives on their parent's situation. That's when my anger stepped in and took over!

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Elizabeth's Ex-Husband Shared His POV In A TikTok Video

After seeing Elizabeth's TikTok video and feeling for her situation, I then stumbled upon her ex-husband's video because that algorithm was algorithming hard!

His POV was way different than what she was portraying. And this is really where my thoughts come into play.

Andrew, her ex, claims that he has full custody of their children because she's a "con artist" and "liar."

Any divorced parent who's had their fair share of post-divorce drama is probably sitting here wondering who is being honest and who is stretching the truth for sympathy or to destroy the other. (And also cringing at what's to come.)

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For anyone who's been in an emotionally abusive relationship in the past, they may be feeling a certain way hearing Andrew talk about Elizabeth, because I really think our past situations dictate how we perceive similar ones.

This situation was now escalating and making me see red. So now we have two exes battling it out for all to see...including their children when they're older. Because if it's on the internet, it can always be found!

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Then Elizabeth Shared A Response To Andrew's TikTok Video

The back-and-forth of sides in TikTok videos has begun and is going strong!

After Andrew's video, Elizabeth shared another one to counteract what he shared. Personally, I'm pretty sure if this was me, I would have tapped out at this point. Why continue to tell your side? Why does it matter? It's clearly time to reevaluate what's important.

At this point, who knows who's being completely truthful. On one hand, Andrew had legal documents to share, and on the other hand, Elizabeth gave more insight into their previous relationship that many viewers could understand or relate to.

This type of situation should be no one's business but Elizabeth and Andrew, but now the entire internet is chiming in on who's right and who's wrong. And why wouldn't they? You involved them all by putting your story out there for all to see!

Sides have clearly been drawn at this point. But my main question remains: why does anyone want their dirty laundry being discussed by anyone and everyone online? And again, what about when the kids are older and they are faced with all of this? As a parent, that angers me to no end!

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Social Media Is Great Until It Isn't

Elizabeth Teckenbrock
TikTok | MoreThanElizabeth

I fully understand wanting to share your story to help other people feel less alone, and I would love to stick to the thought that Elizabeth was doing just that with her video. But knowing that her ex could possibly join the chat online maybe should have stopped her in her tracks. Knowing that all this controversy and drama is just sitting there waiting to attack should have stopped Elizabeth from sharing anything that he could use to rip her apart.

Being a single parent is tough. Being a single parent who's left to co-parent with a difficult ex is even tougher. And it appears that after seeing both Andrew and Elizabeth's POVs that is the case, so why complicate the situation more? Her video definitely egged him on in that aspect, and she should have known that was going to happen.

Social media has made it so many people just share every aspect of their lives openly. And while in many cases this is an amazing thing because finding like-minded people who are in the same boat as you can be a blessing. But the other side of this debate is really the people who may not benefit so much - the children. This is the exact reason I have never shared my former relationship drama online because I know it comes with consequences that affect the children.

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Imagine being a teenager and being online and coming across one of your parent's videos bashing the other. I've seen this happen many times, and the only people who really get hurt are the children. It's terrible when one parent bashes the other in front of the kids but to have it live forever online is a whole other realm of insanity.

And Now You Have Strangers Judging Your Situation And Voicing Their Opinions

Stock photo
Canva | Stock Photo

If you think that this drama is only on TikTok, you'd be very wrong.

Elizabeth and Andrew's public drama didn't contain itself to just TikTok. It drifted over to Reddit where many Redditors shared their thoughts on Elizabeth's video and Andrew's response.

"I mean this is clearly a video for clout. No one needs to make their own birthday cake alone lmao. It's called Walmart just go buy one lol. Top that with crying and the victim music and we've got a grade-A clout chaser," one Redditor shared.

Another said, "Sometimes people are so cornered by their own mistakes that they look for ways to manipulate people by giving pity on the Internet."

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I would love to hear your thoughts on oversharing online when there's conflict lurking in the background. What do you think - is it more helpful or more hurtful to all involved? Email me at mv@theblast.com.

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