A protective mother who was weary of reading horrible remarks about her kid with special needs decided to send a letter to the troll who called her son names after reporting the account and having it deleted. The mother was also tired of receiving the insults.
It is the obligation of parents to provide the very best upbringing they can for their children, and this is often reflected in the outcomes. When working with children who have specialized requirements, this time-tested activity takes on a degree of complexity and sensitivity that it did not previously possess.
Megan Mennes, a resident of Houston, Texas, was familiar with the challenges that may arise when attempting to accommodate children who have Down syndrome since her son Quinn was born with the condition.
After coming across a scathing remark that she felt compelled to respond to, she wrote a letter and published it online in order to chastise the person who had made the offensive statement.
Although bringing up a kid who has special needs might be challenging for some parents at times, Mennes was entirely at peace with her son’s illness since she had embraced it.
Despite the fact that Quinn suffers from Down syndrome, his mother takes great pride in him. In fact, the loving mother has a blog that is entirely dedicated to Quinn and his condition.
There, she publishes photographs and recounts his challenges as he got older. As time went on, she became used to hearing ignorant trolls make disparaging things about her kid, but she continues to post on that platform.
She was impacted by the remarks, but she had already decided earlier in her life that she would not let them burden her. She was upset by the comments, but she had previously decided that she would not let them bother her. In her letter, she said the following:
These comments, even if they are unpleasant, only serve to highlight the ignorance that is driven by hatred, and it is not worth my time to respond to them because of that. As I read them, my stomach turns, but I’m realistic enough to realize that there isn’t much I can do to stop such silliness.
One day, as her kid was chilling out in their yard and sporting a grin, Mennes captured the moment on camera with her camera.
The doting mother said that her daughter took the shot because she believed it would bring her joy. Her kid had been unwell prior to that day and had just just recovered enough to manage a lovely grin after his illness.
She uploaded the picture to social media like she often does, but the mother, who was first thrilled, grew irritated by a specific remark very quickly. The only word that was there was “Ugly,” and that was all that was there.
After spending some time caring for her kid, Mennes grew a thick skin so that she could resist the insults and jibes that were almost anticipated whenever articles concerning persons with Down syndrome were published. Mennes’s child has Down syndrome.
Because she felt that it was her responsibility to provide her viewpoint, on April 14, 2014, she wrote a long letter to the troll whose account had been suspended as a direct consequence of her reporting it. The message was written in the form of an open letter.
Mennes said in the letter that she published on her blog, “The fact that you find my kid unattractive is one thing,” she said. “The fact that you find my child ugly is another thing.” The doting mother accepted that the troll had a right to voice his opinions, but she also said that it was absolutely “childish” and “pathetic” of him to engage in the same conduct under tweets that featured the hashtag for people with Down syndrome.
Mennes stated that she reported the account because it was one thing to leave a disparaging remark under a random online post, but it was quite another to actively search for comments of that type on the internet. Mennes reported the account because she believed that it was inappropriate. She composed the following:
“It won’t be the last time someone makes fun of him, but to go out of your way to attack genuine folks is above and beyond bad. It is horrible to do.”
She said that the troll’s page was filled to the brim with derogatory and hurtful comments, all of which helped to illustrate his level of stupidity.
After sharing her thoughts with him, she concluded the letter by signing it with the words “A Proud Mama,” so indicating that she was pleased with her role as a mother in her son’s life and the impact she has had on him.
After the letter was made public, it instantly gained a lot of support from people who could not believe what Mennes had detailed and soon went viral.
Many people were outraged on her behalf and praised her for how maturely she handled the issue and how she did not allow the disparaging insults to have an overwhelming effect on her.
Mennes was moved by the outpouring of sorrow, and at some point she decided to write a shorter message to express her gratitude to internet users for their support and thank them for their assistance. She typed the following in her letter: “I can’t even begin to tell you how thankful I am; I wish I had time to personally react to each and every one of your messages, but due to the huge outpouring of support, this is just impossible.”
Mennes, who had certainly been buoyed by the outpouring, suggested that they all accept her message as a gigantic embrace in thanks for their compassion, and she thanked them all for their support. Her story demonstrates that online haters and trolls are only capable of causing genuine damage when they are given the opportunity to do so.
Because Mennes refused to accept responsibility for the way the troll thought, she opted not to agonize over her words but rather to reprimand the troll by pointing out his folly in a highly controlled manner. She did this rather than agonize over her words.
