How can people be mean and ignorant to a 10 year-old ?

This story is a few days old and even though there was a good outcome it set my blood boiling. McKenzie Moretter a little 10-year-old girl attending fourth grade and is a victim of a disorder called Sotos syndrome. This disorder leads to a larger than normal head, Long narrow face, rapid growth during childhood, learning disabilities, lack of motor skills and speech impediments.

I'm sure many of you know she sent out invitations to her class and no one RSVP'ed. That is when my blood started to boil!!!

I can understand the other fourth-graders not wanting to go kids will be kids. But the parents of those children are the ones that deserve my wrath. There is absolutely no way at least a couple parents hadn't found out about the party. My child or for that matter my grandchildren would've gone whether they liked it or not. Children need to start understanding about other peoples feelings at an early age . My God, anyone could see that the parents were approving hurting a child's feelings through negative reinforcement. ( with parents like that all the kids might grow up to be bankers)

Today's society baffles me, how can parents show such little involvement in nurturing their child's minds. I am also floored by the teachers non-involvement. Of any adult in this equation she certainly knew what was happening to McKenzie. I think most teachers when they learned of something like this would have contacted some parents and explained how McKenzie was being ostracized.


Thank God apparently hundreds of other people agreed with me. Facebook replies came in from her mothers plea and the party was put together in 11 hours.

There's a video on the link that actually brought a tear to my eye.....

11,000 people turned out for McKenzie's party

And I wish you a belated.......

a reply to: Greathouse

Did this really happen again?!

There was a story not to long ago under almost he same circumstances and the PD and FD ended up coming IIRC.

Glad social media was able to make this happen for this girl!

a reply to: Sremmos80

I wish it would happen more often. I like it because, every time you've just about given up on humanity. Somebody does something like this and you realize humanity still has a chance.

Probably not going to be popular here..but seriously..I don't want to seem like an evil devil..but when is it mandatory that people attend birthday parties??? I have been reading a lot of blogs that have started an anti party revolution..mom and dads are sick of being held to pinterest standards to have parties and everyone is expected to come. Birthdays should be reserved for family and close friends..or just family. Like one of the parents said in the video I watched "we don't KNOW this family, but decided to come" So maybe it has nothing to do with her being ostracized at school and the families just don't know her.

I just get a weird feeling about things going "viral" and then the whole world comes bent hand and foot..I mean I guess it's great..but I don't know..I just get this squirmy feeling about the whole thing..like "oh my kid isn't popular, or has some disease so I am going to whine on FB and hope the news picks it up"...I guess im pessimistic like that...but who knows...as long as she had a good time..I guess im more of a private person. I just don't think it's mandatory for my kid to go to every birthday she is invited to. She won't go..unless we know the parents or they are the best of best friends.. I don't have the time or money to go to 3 or 4 parties a month for each of my children.

a reply to: Greathouse


G,day mate.
well said
this made the news down here in aussie
one can only say the adults may very well be what your title suggests
loved the banker comment
well bloody done chum
And i second your birthday greetings with the added
The Lord God Creator of the heavens the earth and the sky inbewteen be with you young lady
All the days of your life

a reply to: Greathouse


It's because they can, sadly. My daughter has autism and is missing part of her brain. She has given invitations to her classmates since she started kindergarten, and every year from Kindergarten, till now (almost 20), no one has ever RSVP'd to her birthday, including family. I even set up the party at McDonald's, who felt so sorry for her they let her take the cake home, which they usually don't do. I even rented out a party room at an old apartment complex, and once again se the look of sadness and disappointment when no one shows up, even worse when family refuses to show up. Only one person would usually show, and it was a little girl next door. That was it. People can be jerks, and sadly they teach our children at a very young age, that if you are different, you will be treated as such. You will be ostracized, and treated differently than the other children, we can show you. Sadly our children grow up knowing this, no matter how much we wish our children didn't know it. I've tried doing something different on birthdays, but my daughter sees the good in people and believes they will show up, every year.

a reply to: Neopan100

Like one of the parents said in the video I watched "we don't KNOW this family, but decided to come" So maybe it has nothing to do with her being ostracized at school and the families just don't know her.

This statement shows typical narcasistic behavior. It makes a profound statement that people like you feel no empathy when other people are suffering. It is also confirmed by a statement in the next paragraph.

oh my kid isn't popular, or has some disease so I am going to whine on FB

Honestly when a 10-year-old girls acceptance, emotions and self-esteem are destroyed in such a manner. It takes a real jerk to come out with a hostile statement. But it sounds like these self-centered emotions were handed down to you by a BLOG. So by all means continue raise your children via blog advice and think about what is best for you and instruct your children to think the same way.

a reply to: Anyafaj

That is so sad.

Thankfully The little girl next door actions still show hope for humanity. You should announce her birthday on here. If ATS can't come ATS can at least send cards.

a reply to: Greathouse

To be honest, I would have traded never having a birthday party in my whole life, for the simple right to go about my business as a child, without my classmates trying to hurt or kill me. None of us get what we want.

That said, there is a real problem these days with basic compassion. I am told, that there was a time when children, in the main, had hearts that were full of love, mercy, and free of prejudices. I am not sure if such a time ever existed, or at least, if it ever existed in living memory. But what I will say, is that there are few things which occur as a matter of common happenstance, which are as horrifying as the capacity that some children show, for one or another kind of cruelty.

Is this an example of such cruelty? Or is this merely what happens when children are bought up to fear that which they do not understand? After all, children do not, by and large, get born in a state of fear and loathing. They LEARN these things. Contrary to popular opinion, children LEARN to fear the unknown from their parents, and from the cultures in which they mature. Properly bought up, they do not fear what they do not understand, but are amazed by it and curious about it. Fear is taught, and it is taught more effectively than any other subject in this period in history.

I love the idea of sending cards. I'm not the type to attend a birthday party regardless of who the birthday person is (unless we're getting insanely drunk); but I'm a snail mail junkie.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Much of what your statement said about children rings true. (kids will be kids) Which is the exact reason my criticism was about the adults. That is the place where children learn about empathy and compassion be it a teacher, their parents, or their favorite aunt or uncle etc.

I've seen repeated threads about the evils children do, that will continue until the adults decide to step up. Whether it's the single-parent scenario or the parents are too busy with their own lives to guide their children's lives, The current trend towards narcissism needs to be addressed at the most basic level......,,,,, family.

I love the idea of ATS sending cards as well.

I wish my finances were more in order and my brain not a complete jumbled mess, but I'll do my best to remember to mark this young ladies birthday on next years calendar and sent her a nice card and small gift she might like.

In fact...now that I think about it...I'm going to make it a priority.

I'm tired of living in a selfish and callous world.



ETA:

Am I getting hijacked video or something?

When I view the news story I see a perfectly normal young girl and nothing showing the usual characteristics of this condition. Please tell me I'm going crazy because if my news streams or gifts are being hijacked by some spoiled brat and entitled family faking a "condition" I'm seriously gonna flip bricks.

The girl I'm seeing in the video on this end looks absolutely perfectly healthy with no defining characteristics.

God damn you Faux News.



I hate the internet sometimes.
Seriously.

Sorry, but our being able to eat the last two weeks of the month takes priority over a bogus charity grab.


Until I get to the bottom of this I rescind my previous offer of card and gift.

originally posted by: Greathouse
a reply to: Anyafaj

That is so sad.

Thankfully The little girl next door actions still show hope for humanity. You should announce her birthday on here. If ATS can't come ATS can at least send cards.

That would make her day. Oct. 9th is her birthday. She was born on Columbus Day at 12:12 pm. Somehow it worked out she has doubles in every name she has too. Two 'N's in her first name, two 'N's in her middle name, and two 'T's in her last name. I've heard there's something there with numerology, but I've never looked it up with the doubles.

She is an empath and is very in tune with other people's emotions. If someone is sad, she is heartbroken. If someone is in a wheelchair and missing a leg, she feels sorry for them and wishes God could give them a leg. When her great grandfather died in another state, that she never met, she was heartbroken and cried for 3 years. She was so devastated over his loss. It's just the child that she is. She was even sad for her great grandmother whom she did meet knowing that her great grandmother would be sad over his loss.

I call her my Kaitydid. Her nickname is after the locust that plagued Egypt because every time she visits I stock my house full of drinks and food, and by the time she leaves, it looks like the plague visited my home. LOL Although, her meds help in that. Between lithium, buspar, and so many others they have her on, she eats like food is going out of style. I'm trying to get her transferred to a group home closer to my apartment because the group home she's at now, they refuse to let me talk to the doctor monitoring her meds, they even refused to give me the doctor's name so that she can sign release forms.

IM me for address around her birthday time for a place to send the cards

a reply to: Anyafaj

I'm a guy and we suffer from forget important dateitis!! We usually rely on a woman to remind us.

Soooo..............

Please start a thread around October 1 and remind everyone to IM you on where to send it.

originally posted by: Greathouse
a reply to: Anyafaj

I'm a guy and we suffer from forget important dateitis!! We usually rely on a woman to remind us.

Soooo..............

Please start a thread around October 1 and remind everyone to IM you on where to send it.

You're talking to someone with memory loss. LOL We're a bad pair. LOL

Why would one want to teach their kids to patronize people? You see this all the time, people think being nice now is what's best long term. Are the people at that party whi pity the girl, going to show up next year? How about if the girl wants a Halloween party? Being fake friends is worse then having no friends.

What reality do the parents live in. My daughter never had people over and never goes over other kids houses, so let's have a party and invite all of her non-friends over, because I am sure they will come.

IMHO, there is a mental illness side with the not being able to understand the reality of the situation.

originally posted by: thinline
Why would one want to teach their kids to patronize people? You see this all the time, people think being nice now is what's best long term. Are the people at that party whi pity the girl, going to show up next year? How about if the girl wants a Halloween party? Being fake friends is worse then having no friends.

What reality do the parents live in. My daughter never had people over and never goes over other kids houses, so let's have a party and invite all of her non-friends over, because I am sure they will come.

IMHO, there is a mental illness side with the not being able to understand the reality of the situation.

You also have some kids who don't understand either. My daughter thinks the bullies in school are her "friends" and they're just having a bad day. You can't get through to her brain friend don't treat friends that way. To her mind, they ARE her friends. Period, it's not open for discussion. This includes the girl who would attend her birthday parties. She would be an outright witch to my daughter around other kids, but when it was just her and my daughter, she was the sweetest kid. That's why I normally invited her, and only her, not her friends as well, to my daughter's past parties.

Myself, my stepmother would invite her friend's kids over that were way younger than I so my parties turned into me babysitting. Oh yeah, just what I always wanted for my birthday. More free babysitting for you! Another life lesson. I had enough life lessons, I really wasn't in the mood for more. I hated birthdays. Truly, unless it was my dad or uncle doing something special just the two of us, I wanted nothing to do with them growing up. 2010, my birthday was the day my ex announced he wanted a divorce then "apologized" because he forgot it was my birthday. Yes, birthday's suck. They're supposed to.

But we don't need to put that on kids if we can help it.

originally posted by: thinline
Why would one want to teach their kids to patronize people? You see this all the time, people think being nice now is what's best long term. Are the people at that party whi pity the girl, going to show up next year? How about if the girl wants a Halloween party? Being fake friends is worse then having no friends.

What reality do the parents live in. My daughter never had people over and never goes over other kids houses, so let's have a party and invite all of her non-friends over, because I am sure they will come.

IMHO, there is a mental illness side with the not being able to understand the reality of the situation.

So something lovely like this, decent people coming together to support a family and a girl who needed a good birthday is now wrong??

This is beautiful.... how can you watch that video and not be moved??


FFS some people are just cold man.

a reply to: Greathouse

There was a boy with a mental impairment in my class who had a party. people went. That's all I have to add, o I went. I remember he loved hugs and it made me uncomfortable. I was young, don't remember much.

a reply to: Greathouse

Parents aren't always as grown up and mature as me might hope they would be...