A mother received significant attention on social media after sharing how her daughter excluded one child from her birthday party, prompting 20,000+ reactions and 4,300 comments from readers on Reddit.
The mom’s daughter, Payton (7), was part of a small class of 20 students. One student gave Payton a hard time, saying that she “wasn’t pretty,” she was too “chubby,” and a “crybaby.” There were several instances that occurred that greatly upset Payton.
The mother had meetings with the school and the other parent about this issue before and ultimately decided not to invite the student to her daughter’s birthday party.
The other parent called the mother, claiming that her daughter was crying because she was the only one not invited and that the party had become a topic of conversation at school.
The mother explained why she had chosen not to invite this student, but the other parent argued that she was teaching her daughter to be a “bully” and using her money to make friends.
The parent asked if her daughter could send an apology letter and give a formal apology, but the mother refused. An apology wasn’t enough to be invited, and the mother admitted it had become a “big deal” now every time she met the parent.
The mother wants to know: was she wrong for not inviting the student?
Reactions From Social Media
Most of the responses supported the mother’s decision not to invite the student to her daughter’s birthday party. Many argued that it was necessary to establish boundaries for those who caused you harm and for the daughter to feel safe at her birthday party.
The Tables Have Turned
One person with 34,400 ‘upvotes’ said. “Your daughter has every right to feel safe at her party. This is a thing this girl is going to miss out on, and she’s upset about that. Which I guess is understandable, but here is the thing, Mum didn’t offer an apology before the party. Didn’t pull her kid in line before the party and when it was brought up repeatedly with the school. She is only doing it now because her kid is the ‘victim.'”
“My main reason is that your kid deserves not to be walking on eggshells at her party,” they continued. “And I absolutely loathe when parents continue to put their kids in contact with their bullies or abusers. Children or not. Your child deserves to feel safe.”
“Her kid has bullied yours, so, of course, Payton doesn’t want her there,” another with 9,600 ‘upvotes’ said, “This is a great time for the bully’s mom to teach them that actions have consequences.”
The Day of The Birthday Arrived
The mother listened to the opinions on social media and decided to stick to her guns. She provided an update on the event.
On the day of Payton’s birthday party, there was a large array of activities for the children to enjoy.
There were face painting stations, balloon animals, a bounce house, and an obstacle course. A magic show kept the kids entertained, and character appearances added to the festivities.
Additionally, there was a life-size Barbie box for pictures and swag bags for the children to take with them.
The uninvited student attempted to join; however, they did not make it past the community gate due to a security checkpoint.
This article Not Inviting One Child From My Daughters Class to a Party: Am I Wong? was produced and syndicated by TPR Teaching. Source.
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