Pay Up or No One Comes to Your Kid’s Birthday Party?
This is shocking even for the Park Cities but I have a source who backs up the scandal.
My child attends [school name] and is in Kindergarten there. We found out that one of the other classes was requiring all parents to pitch in an additional $100 dollars per child for teacher gifts. There was one mother in that class who refused to pay the extra $100 and the other mothers (are you sitting) BOYCOTTED this mother’s child’s birthday party. We are talking about a 5 year old child who is wondering why no one came to his party…..isn’t that pathetic?????
20 Comments to “Pay Up or No One Comes to Your Kid’s Birthday Party?”
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Isn’t this the Mommy Mafia ring that you so often refer to. That’s disgusting on so many different levels..
Yes, it’s pathetic.
No one does Politically Correct group-think better than the non-leftist Park Cities.
Maybe the teachers should ask parents to stop extortion tactics, especially involving their kids, for exhorbitant gifts for them.
Room moms could suggest a donation like $20 for a holiday gift. A few may give less, but many will give more. It adds up quickly. Everyone’s name goes on the card. It’s not a competition, imho. Anyone can give an individual gift as well.
Very sad. The school system/principal should have a policy which bans gifts for teachers. A no-gift policy would eliminates practices such as this one. When parents give inappropriately expensive gifts, it also puts the teach at a disadvantage to effectively do his/her job because the relationship changes when gifts of this size are given a teacher.
This is why many were not shocked by the hateful email Merritt received from the HPISD student. Look at some of the role models these kids grow up with. Unfortunately these women can’t blame their nasty behavior on being young and nieve.
Yup. Just wait until your children grow into middle school athletics, and the parents compete to see who can violate UIL rules (and attempt to perhaps influence roster and playing time decisions) by taking the coaches to dinner at expensive restaurants and buying them breakfast during the season.
PLD, banning gifts seems extreme. Part of the idea behind group gifts is to keep teachers from being tempted to decide which kids are more “worthy,” though most wouldn’t anyway. And teachers who feel appreciated are more likely to stay in HPISD.
I think this is mainly an elementary school problem. By middle school the teachers are begging for Clorox wipes. And the PTA lets you donate toward cafeteria cards for all the teachers. Your own teachers are notified, but they never know how much you gave. Private schools feed their teachers lunch, so this is a great practice.
Agree w/anon — a suggested $20 per child is perfect (we did $30 last year w/no problems). Agree too with PLD — exorbitant gifts screw the teacher, too. Maybe it is time for a no-gifts rule.
I sure hope to see an update to this post, advising this was total BS. Merritt, can you confirm wholesale birthday boycott? For shame, for shame. My experience has been that these weirdo effed-up fruitcake moms exist . . . but an entire class of them? Truly hard to believe.
Though am being extorted tonight by a Sally Foster stuffed-monkey give-away. My kid is beyond despondent b/c he hasn’t sold (read: I haven’t bought) the requisite 25 “items” required for him to be eligible for a monkey at school tomorrow. He’s asked to be taped into a box “permanently, mom, permanently!” f*#*$(@*%! The pressure! Jesus H.
Why do you think the volleyball coach quit a few years ago. She was putting the best players on the court and some parents were very upset that their little girls were not playing. The coach was a fine coach but just got fed up with the spoiled parents and left HPHS.
This is horrible. Absurd. I cannot understand ADULTS using a petty grudge against a child.
You know, here’s a reality check: some people work HARD to live in HP/UP, and they sacrifice to do so, expressly so their kids can attend excellent schools. With food, fuel, and energy prices doubling in under 7 years, it is straining a lot of families.
$100 is over the top. When I was a room mother(5 freaking times)at private schools we NEVER asked for more than $20, EVER. If someone wanted to sign up or give more, that was fine, but it was done quietly and graciously.
How come no one has mentioned what school this is! If it’s private Im guessing it is ESD if it’s Park Cities Im guessing Hyer, for sure. Which brings me to a new topic Ive never seen discussed here. Are the Hyer mom myths true? My older kids went to Bradfield but now we live in the Hyer zone and people have me scared to death about my younger kids going to Hyer. Soposedly, Im going to have to lose weight, work out all the time, have plastic surgery, get a new car etc., etc. The story above seems to fit some of the Hyer stories Ive heard. Yikes!
This is the only power these mothers have and it is sinful that they use it to boycott a child’s birthday party. This innocent little boy will ALWAYS remember waiting in anticipation of his schoolmates and friends coming to HIS party and being devastated that NOBODY attend. Talk about a form of child abuse! Seriously, these mothers are mentally deranged and pathetic.
To Cocomom: I’m a former Hyer mom. We moved to UP with a fourth grade student. All the Hyer moms were great and very welcoming. And their friendliness was not because of the car I drove (minivan!) or any physical enhancements I had…(none!).
The kids were friendly, too. We had a great experience at Hyer.
Moms, remember the comment the F-bomb dropping student made about being “among the people that will one day lead this country have some respect”. He wasn’t just talking about his fellow students. Today’s offended kindergarten mom may be tomorrow’s PTA President…or Mayor…or Governor…or VP…or President. IJS
I believe it. I know of a similar situation in which one “powerful” mom had a beef with another mom so she started this adult female bullying camapign against the mom and child and the child was completely frozen out of any social activities for that grade. Karma . . . .
As a long-time Hyer mom, this is the first I’ve heard about such ridiculous room mom behavior. I’m assuming it didn’t happen at our school. I think our room moms collect about $30 for the year to cover teacher gifts.
Cocomom, the rumors about Hyer have been going around for years. Please don’t worry about sending your younger children to school there. It is a great school with many wonderful families, some of which include gorgeous mommies. I’m not one who works out all the time or has had plastic surgery, and I have never felt like I didn’t belong. If you are active in the school, you’ll fit right in and hopefully come to love it as much as our family does.
I cannot think of anything more tragic and disturbing to have something an adult may or may not do be taken out on a child.
OK, let me get this straight. A group of amoral, hateful parents, led by a psychotic, satanic room mom type decided to take its wrath out on a five-year-old child because his mom didn’t make a teacher gift donation? Are we really expected to believe that approximately 20 parents, all grouped together in one class, are being led to this conclusion by this hypnotic, all-powerful room mom? I have been a room mom in the past and, apparently, never exercised the full extent of my demonic powers.
In the years I have been in the Park Cities, I have never once heard or seen a parent take anything like this out on a child. To the contrary, it has been my experience that most parents consider the kids (both theirs and others) before they act out. I think someone is pitching a movie for the Lifetime channel here. Are the blog stats low this month?
To: PC Rebel a/k/a Doris Davis, after I read your comment, I was all excited to click on your name and read your blog. But dam-, it is not open to the GUMs. I too am agog and disbelieving of this rumored birthday boycott. Though certainly Merritt did not post this with a demonic, ratings-upward motive. She is tracking it down, I understand, and will report back. I hope her news is good. Meanwhile, when do us peons get in on your blog?
This really did happen- and the school was an elementary school in Park Cities–not Hyer.
My hope is that the Mothers(if you want to call them that) is that they will have read this blog and get some insight from their actions and how others feel. But sadly, from years of experience, I don’t think they will ever change, just mellow a bit. I feel so sorry for the children.