When Adults Steal Kids Thunder
There’s something that happened a little over a month ago that’s really been bugging me - and bugging my family even more. The fact that I’m so deeply emotionally saturated in the situation, I thought I might be able to gain strength from the advice of some of the Super Nanny Rules readers. I’m not sure if I’m just being an over protective mother or what!
Most people know that my family is involved in showing birds. Several months ago, my son worked hard to earn his own money to purchase a full set of birds of one breed that he’s been interested in. He paid $100 for them. That’s a LOT of money for a 14-year-old to earn.
He was so proud that he worked and earned those birds himself. He went on to work and earn the money to buy them the best feeder and watering gadgets going.
Every day, he’d head out to the barn to work with his birds to make sure they were ready for show in July. It showed. His birds were so tame. In fact, I compared one of them to a pet dog. He’d follow my son around the barn lot like he was on a leash.
When the show came around, he was sure he was going to do well - and he did - very well in fact. However, the person he bought the birds from made a point to tell the judge they GAVE my son those birds.
My son looked as though he’d been punched in the gut. He came to me and said, “mom, they didn’t give me those birds, I bought them myself.”
After that show, he lost all interest in those birds. All the pride he took in working to earn them was sucked right out of him when the people made a point to tell the JUDGE that they GAVE them to him.
We wound up selling the birds for $50 to a nice lady and her kids. They’ll show the birds in another county where the kids can take full credit for the birds they bought and will raise. The kids have been instructed to NOT let the people my son bought the birds from know where the birds went, that way the credit can be entirely that of the owners.
Why on Earth would adults purposely seek to steal a kids thunder at a program that intended to be all about the kids?
And how would you handle the situation when the kids who used to own the birds keep teasing and tormenting your kids at school?
Tags: parenting, bullies, disappointment, depression
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Parenting
2 opinions for When Adults Steal Kids Thunder
Hil
Sep 7, 2007 at 6:24 pm
Two thoughts ..
1) Maybe they meant “gave” in a general way, as in, they bred the birds, and not literally as if they gave them away for free.
2) They’re extremely self-serving, in which case, other people probably already know about how they act and know it was your son’s hard work more than breeding that made the difference.
I don’t really know what to tell you about the bullying. We haven’t dealt with much of that. :( Maybe you could talk with the district psychologist and get some tips?
Good luck!
Personally, I like the idea of finding another breeder to get more birds from and taking them back to the show in the same awesome condition … but that’s just my evil side talking.
Bev Schweigert
Sep 9, 2007 at 3:55 pm
Oh boy, would that make me mad!!! It’s too late now, but I think I would have made a comment to the judges about the fact that he Bought the birds, he wasn’t given the birds!
I feel bad for your son….
Bev
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: