Sweetness of “Local USC Moms and Dads” Facebook Group Sullied by Custody Fight in Comments Section
by Dan Toomey
LOS ANGELES, CA — What began as a sparkle of hope amid a semester of despondency was tarnished on Saturday, as the “Local USC Moms and Dads on Call” Facebook page became ground for a heated custody battle in the comments section.
It all began with an innocent post. Mara Watson, a USC grad whose daughter just transferred into the Iovine and Young Academy, posted plans for an upcoming bake sale. Enthusiasm from page members flooded the 25-word suggestion, with high-spirited replies like, “Wow! Great idea Mara!” and “I’ll bring some almond milk, too!”
The joviality, however, was short-lived.
A comment from Adam Bronson, a USC grad whose son is a current sophomore at the Viterbi School for Engineering, shifted the tone of the post with a subtle shot fired at another member.
“Just a warning everyone! Kathy Cedar’s lemon squares are to die for. Literally!” Bronson wrote, accompanied by multiple skull emojis that the Sack of Troy, to this day, is trying to figure out how to code in this article.
Within seconds, a response from Cedar — a USC graduate herself — appeared.
“Oh, don’t listen to Adam! He’s just a bit bitter because he hasn’t had any sweetness in the past four years of his life,” Cedar wrote. “That’s what you get when you don’t have control over the child! But our little Cynthia chose for a reason.”
Unaware of the ability to reply directly to a comment on Facebook, Cedar wrote her jab beneath Bronson’s. Not to be outdone, the 55-year-old asset manager responded accordingly, setting off a virulent chain reaction between the two divorcees that stretched on for four hours.
“I never even made you lemon squares.” Cedar wrote. “You said you hated them!”
“It was Cynthia that hated them, I just took the fall for her because she’s afraid to tell you anything!” Bronson responded.
“Well, she’s not afraid to tell me about her Daddy issues!” Cedar wrote.
Eventually, the two testy guardians were permanently removed from the “Local USC Moms and Dads” Facebook page to preserve the online forum’s signature charm and sweetness. Soon after the incident, new group rules were posted that barred any parents from discussing touchy subjects like marriage difficulties, religion, sex, race, or any events that have taken place in the past two years at USC.
