Ha! This "snowflake" behaviour is hard to beat!

[kaytieeldr]

Being upset because your brother got something is total spoiled brat, whether it's your birthday or not. I wouldn't have relit the candles for him, because of the way he asked, but I also wouldn't have tolerated whining and carrying on from the older child about the fact that the little brother pretended to do something she did. I certainly wouldn't have told her "it's OK, because you get the fruit and he doesn't." The implication there is that causing pain to someone else, or rubbing it in to someone else is enjoyable.

But that's not what happened.

• The birthday girl wasn't whining and carrying on - she was merely sad and disappointed
• It was the girl's birthday, and her special treat was fruit with a candle and a round of "Happy Birthday"
• Her brother whined, complained, and carried on
• Dad removed him for a few moments
• Mom relit the candle and moved the presentation to the brother's setting, telling the girl she would still get to eat the fruit (special treat for birthday celebrant)
• Dad and boy return
• Boy blows out candle, everybody sings "Happy Birthday" and he proceeds to eat the fruit
• Birthday girl is left with nothing, except sadness and likely feeling that her brother, for whatever reason, gets treated better than she

 

[Val]

I didn't call over the security guard at the track meet because it was someone from MY team that was causing me a problem....and they had enough to deal with given the almost 1000 kids at the meet. I DID think about all the things I could have said to the mother, but decided I might not be able to limit it to polite responses, so I walked away to control MY behavior. I didn't want to act like a snowflake mom myself.

Interestingly, the mother is continuing to bad mouth me to the rest of the parents. This is a team in which my DS is one of a few from one culture on a team that is predominately another culture typically considered a minority (it doesn't matter which one, so I won't be more specific). I have now been accused of being "racist" because I singled the boy out (remember, he is 15 and was throwing my food and pouring my water on my chair).....funny thing was, my DS was the only "other" from our team at the meet.....and I only got after this ONE child. I don't get it....it seems to me I wasn't singling the child out because of his culture, but because he was MISBEHAVING! There were several other jr hi/hi school boys from his culture that weren't acting out- and I didn't get after them! In fact, I drove them to and from the meet and gladly brought snacks/water/chairs and supplies for these nice young men. And THEY said please and thank you and helped me carry our things.

Bottom line, we only have 4 more practices until we leave for WDW, with a track meet the weekend before (I certainly am NOT volunteering at the meet) and then we should be done for season. Next year DS can run for the high school all summer, and I think it is time we just cut our losses. Lesson learned....not sure what that lesson is, but we learned something!