A couple of weeks ago, a friend’s 11 y/o daughter ”G” was invited to a b-day party of one of her closest friends, “M.” Five of them were supposed to all go to an Escape The Room event (sort of like a mystery with clues) then go back to the b-day girl’s home for a sleep-over. M’s mom texted G’s family saying plans had changed and it would only be a sleep-over at 7 pm.
On the party evening, M’s mom sent texts saying they were running late as they had been to a ‘small event,’ and that they would pick G up instead of her being dropped off.
G came home looking ashen the next morning. The 4 others spent all night talking about how fun the Escape the Room event had been. G said that M was the one who kept bringing it up (!) and would give an ‘evil look’ over at her to see how she was reacting. One of them let slip that it wasn’t due to a guest limit by the event organizers.
There had been an extra empty spot.
In the morning M arranged for the girl’s to go out in the neighborhood and everyone was assigned a bike or scooter but M made G run behind them. There was no birthday cake/song at the sleepover and M’s mom made the excuse that she had forgotten to serve it but who forgets that at their daughter’s b-day? Can only assume they must have had the cake and song at the event.
G asked M why she had been left out and was told it was because she was ‘too competitive,’ because G had won at LaserBall the last time the girls had gone out together.
Since then G has been suffering from depression and has isolated, not wanting to call or see friends at all.
I’m shocked and, dare I say it, disgusted not just at what the birthday girl did but that the Mom would let her daughter practice such poor sportsmanship and that they would invite one child to the ‘after party’ to be the odd man out.
G’s parents are stunned that M’s Mom didn’t give them a head’s up as they would have come up with an alternate plan (“family movie night” or something ) to keep G home that night so that she would not have to be shamed and hurt like that.
Today M’s mom texted inviting G to go to Velocity Sports with M.
G’s Dad said yes, but G’s Mom doesn’t want her to go because she doesn’t want her child to be exposed to people who have the potential to be cruel without qualm. Is she being unreasonable? She wants her child to be a forgiving person but not a doormat for abusive people and how to protect her child from this girl and her mom?
So sorry this is so long!