Instead of watching cartoons or getting his sticky fingers into the cookie jar, TikToker John Battagliese (@thejohnbatt) used to throw dinner parties with his mom’s friends without his mom’s permission when he was around eight or nine years old.
Whenever his dad was out of town, he would steal his mom’s purse, flip through the phone book, and call up some of her friends, who apparently needed no convincing to go out.
This pint-sized party planner would invite them to dinner somewhere, such as the local Chinese restaurant, so no one had to do any cooking.
He would not tell his mom about the dinner plans until everyone confirmed they were coming.
An hour later, he would show up dressed in his finest polo shirt and sit at the table, watching the women as they chattered about the latest scandal.
John always pushed the kids’ menu out of the way and ordered a Shirley Temple to sip on as he soaked in all the gossip and had the best time.
It was very iconic of him, and it was not just a phase, either. To this day, he insists that he has a sixth sense for knowing when the girls need to get out of the house and enjoy some wine and a gossip session.
Naturally, the internet ate this story up. Several TikTok users immediately chimed in with their own childhood tales of being “one of the girls.” Some kids are just born with that main character energy.
“I used to have ‘Lady Club’ where all the women in my family would sit in the living room and gossip while I would facilitate and listen. I was five or six, and my mom didn’t know until everyone showed up,” commented one user.
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“My daughter used to love to spend the night at my mother-in-law’s house, just so she could go to dinner with her and her girlfriends. She was getting the tea!! Love this!” exclaimed another.
“I’m an only child, and this was also my personality, but in the south. I told Charlene to get a divorce every week!” added someone else.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
