A mum has been praised for not making her daughter apologise for pulling a cousin's wig off who is suffering from rare cancer.
The anonymous mother narrated the 'bullying' event that happened at a lunch party this bank holiday weekend at her parents' place.
She revealed that her sister's nine-year-old daughter, Ella was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer two years ago. She'd lost her hair due to chemotherapy and chooses to wear a wig.
The mother took to Reddit's infamous 'Am I The A**hole' thread to ask if she was wrong when she didn't make her seven-year-old daughter Hayley apologise for pulling Ella's wig off.
Advert
While talking about the incident, she gave a disclaimer that Ella is unhappy and angry with her life and always 'terrorises her daughter'.
She started by saying that the kids were playing outside and overheard Hayley crying because Ella had dared Hayley to lick a muddy puddle, and was adamant on filming the incident.
The adults intervened and demanded an immediate end to the ordeal, but Ella said 'maybe we'll make her do it later'.
The mother said that Hayley was crying her eyes out and 'ran up to Ella, pulled her wig off and threw it into the puddle'.
Ella screamed and ran up to her parents, demanding they ask everyone to stop looking at her.
Hayley's grandparents were furious and labelled Hayley's actions 'disgusting' - bearing in mind Hayley's grandad had been a cancer patient himself.
Ella's parents claimed their daughter is 'traumatised' by the incident, and called Hayley a 'horrible' and 'evil' person for taking their daughter's wig off.
Hayley's mother defended her daughter by saying that she was being subjected to 'bullying', but her sister quickly dismissed it as 'girly teasing'.
The helpless mother's parents and her sister, along with her husband, demanded a written apology from Hayley to Ella, which clearly states that 'she understands what a cruel thing she did'.
However, Hayley's mother refused to comply.
She wrote: "She was tormenting my daughter, ganging up on her and filming the whole thing. Hayley obviously shouldn't have taken the wig, but she was very upset and being bullied."
After the ordeal went viral on a Reddit thread, users poured in with their sympathies and opinions on why the mother's actions were justified.
One said: "She was threatening to force a child who is younger than her into doing something as disgusting as that while also constantly acting out towards her for no reason. It was completely fair that your daughter did that to her. Karma’s a bitch."
Another chimed in: "The 'girly teasing' comment from her mom says to me that Ella was already well on her way to being a bully before getting sick."
A third wrote: "It sounds like your daughter was being bullied and harassed by her cousin and her friends.
"Ella's behaviour is unacceptable, and it's understandable that Hayley would react in such a way after being subjected to such cruelty. It's also not fair for your family to demand an apology from Hayley when she was clearly the victim in this situation.
"It's important to address the bullying behaviour of Ella and her friends rather than blaming the victim. I hope that your family can work towards a solution that ensures the safety and well-being of all the children involved."
Rashi Agarwal