Mom Slams Cruel Parents Who Mocked Her 11-Year-Old Daughter For Wearing A Suit To School Dance
Kids can be mean, but parents can be meaner.
Pixabay / Pexels In the small town of Morley in England, Mischa Parker, 11, was gearing up for her primary school’s prom — held to celebrate the accomplishment of graduating.
However, when she showed up to the dance, the adults made fun of her for her choice of outfit.
11-year-old Mischa Parker mocked by parents for wearing a suit at prom.
Last Wednesday, just two days before the dance, Parker had gone with her mother, Tamara Auty, 33, and her little brother Thomas, 9, to H&M to pick out her attire.
"I’d taken her shopping the day before and she was really excited trying it on. She was a bit nervous hoping nobody laughed at her," Auty said.
Parker chose a full suit and dickie bow that she picked out herself in order to express her individuality.
"Me at eleven, I had no idea who I was,” Auty added, “but Mischa has always known who she is and what she likes.”
Parents made harsh comments to Parker.
When Parker attended the dance on Friday, she had been confident going into it since she was comfortable with what she was wearing, but the parents who were chaperoning the event didn’t like it.
The parents called her names like “suit girl” and laughed at her, ridiculing her and knocking her confidence — this kind of behavior seems particularly shocking from adults.
"I think it was an attack on her individuality,” Auty said, “I work in mental health myself I just think it was really disgusting.”
"Every time she was walking past these parents she could hear them commenting and laughing."
When Parker had finally had enough, she texted her mother much sooner than the dance was supposed to end and asked her to pick her up from Fountain Primary School early.
Parker's confidence was knocked by the comments.
Comments like these — especially from adults who easily influence children — no doubt hurt the young girl.
"She had been knocked down recently confidence-wise so it was quite a big thing for her to wear the suit as she hates dresses, she's not a girly girl."
Her mother says that she’s always been that way too — she often wears baggier clothes or clothes that were meant for boys, and she didn’t mind.
"I just think that children should be allowed to express themselves — why should my daughter be made to feel bad about the way she likes to dress? Why try and knock a child down for that?”
Interestingly enough, all of the kids at school and her friends thought she looked great and didn’t make fun of her at all.
Other children complimented Parker's suit.
Parker had waited for her friends before going into the school for the dance as she didn't want to go in alone, and they all showered her with praise.
"All her mates were saying you look amazing, you look gorgeous," said Auty.
It’s every parents’ nightmare that their kid might be getting bullied in school, but you would never expect the bullying to come from the other parents.
“I work with people in crisis, I see people who are affected by bullying and I just think it's disgusting,” said Auty, “especially with adults who know better. You expect it to be more the kids.
"Mischa [is] normally not very cuddly, doesn’t really show emotion, doesn’t really get upset easily. She's just quite a strong character. When I got to [the] prom I cuddled her and she just burst into tears and said 'I need to get out of here.'"
When they arrived back home, Auty questioned her daughter and asked her what had happened.
Once she finished telling the story, she asked her mother, “Do you think I should change my fashion?”
To which she replied “No, you be who you are.”
Fortunately, Mischa has a great support system around her with friends and family that love her for who she is, and hopefully the school will address the issue and reach out to the chaperones that were there that night.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice.