Standing up for your children is a very important task for a parent. And sometimes, to do so, parents must face difficult decisions. For example, refusing to be civil to another human being just because they were awful to your child.
This woman is the perfect example of that, as she found herself in a situation where she had to cut funding to another child's camp after he made fun of her gay son.
More info: Reddit
Sometimes withholding your generosity is the only right decision. Especially when it comes to your children
Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)
This woman's son came out as gay, but sadly, his brother and his lifelong best friend made fun of him at school because of it
Image credits: Mikhail Nilov (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
Image credits: u/Huge_Assistance_9047
As retaliation, the woman decided to stop sponsoring her son's best friend's camp admission, knowing his mother won't be able to pay for that herself
The post’s author has two sons - David, an older and quieter one, and Shawn, a younger and more easy-going one.
Ever since Shawn was little, he has had a friend named Frankie. 7 years ago, Frankie’s father was left disabled after a stroke. And since then, every year, the OP has anonymously sponsored the boy's summer camp participation, because she knows his parents couldn’t afford it.
The author’s son David recently came out as gay. He also revealed that because of this, he endured quite a lot of bullying at school, including from his brother and his best friend. So, the OP confronted her younger son and he answered that he was just playing around, and it didn't mean anything serious. The mother ended up grounding him for a month and taking away his video games until the end of the school year. He apologized to his brother.
Next, the woman went to deal with Shawn’s best friend Frankie. She called his mother and explained the situation, but Frankie’s mom was dismissive. In fact, she even said that David made himself a target by being an “overly sensitive tattletale.”
As a result, the OP decided not to sponsor her son’s friend’s camp participation anymore. And since Frankie’s mother doesn’t know who the sponsor was, she won’t know why and who ended the sponsorship.
Image credits: Quang Nguyen Vinh (not the actual photo)
The author’s husband agrees with such a decision, but at the same time he feels sad that Frankie won’t be able to go, so Shawn will have to go without his best friend. And just to make sure that she's making the right decision, the woman came to ask for Reddit’s opinion.
Apparently, the people online would have done the same thing if they were in her shoes. And they not only justified her actions but judged the other mother in the story, who dismissed David’s bullying as “boys will be boys.” This saying is not only outdated due to perpetuating gender bias, but also doesn’t fit this situation at all. The bullying of LGBTQ+ youth shouldn’t be dismissed as easily as the younger boy's mother, who was deemed to be a jerk, did.
In fact, queer youth tend to be bullied more frequently than straight teens. And it doesn’t only apply to school grounds - they also experience cyberbullying, so not even their homes are a safe place.
Bullying victims also tend to be a risk group for mental health conditions, including fear, depression, and anxiety, to name a few, substance abuse, physical illness, or even suicide.
So, people should strive to fight bullying in schools, in cyberspace, and even in their homes. People should feel safe and loved, no matter their surroundings and their sexual orientation. Just like today's OP - she indeed put some effort into making sure her queer son's life will be a little bit better.
"Let Frankie meet karma": people online justified the author's action by claiming the camp was a privilege, not a right for him
