There are few days as special in a child's life as the day they are born. All children are excited for their birthday every year.
Even better, they can share their special day with friends and family. Some children even celebrate it twice in the case of a child whose parents separated or divorced. This was the situation in which young Kelsey Frederick was. Fortunately, her parents, Schaffen and Christin, did not mind having two separate birthday celebrations for Kelsey.
This year, however, something went very, very wrong on her big day. Kelsey couldn't wait for her birthday. She was about to turn 13 and officially become a teenager. Who wouldn't want to have two 13th birthday parties? It was a very important day and she was used to having two parties a year.
Understandably, Kelsey thought that her thirteen birthday would be a very special day. She was becoming an adolescent and a teenager. She wanted to have her birthday party be special too.
She didn't want the usual children's party this year. She wanted to have a sleepover instead. Just her and some of her good friends.
To add to the excitement of her upcoming birthday, Kelsey's mother had agreed to Kelsey getting some highlights put in her hair for the first time ever.
All the other girls her age had highlights so it was only natural that Kelsey also wanted to try them.
Kelsey went to the salon to get her hair done. When she was done she went to her dad's house, excited to show off the new look.
She could never have expected the reaction she would get on her new hairstyle, however.
Kelsey isn't the only one in this situation. Many children have two families as Kelsey does.
She's just happy that she gets to spend time with both her parents, especially on a big day like this. According to their divorce contract, both Kelsey's parents get equal amounts of time with her and they do just that.
Kelsey's weekends alternate between her two parents, so she stays on the move and things don't become boring for her. She loves to go to baseball games with her father and she loves to go play with her two younger brothers.
All in all, despite the situation, Kelsey has a very happy childhood.
Apart from her relationship with her father, many children would be jealous of the close relationship Kelsey has with her mom.
The two of them are like best friends and incredibly close to each other.
Kelsey and her mother have a better relationship than many others do. Kelsey knows that there is nothing she can't talk about with her mother.
Kelsey knows how lucky she is and she is very grateful to have a mother like that on her side.
As close as Kelsey is to her father, the relationship she has with her mother is very different. Her father seems less interested in the dramas and stories of a teenage girl than her mother is.
Kelsey also spends more time with her mother than she does with her father.
Her parents had separated when Kelsey was still very young.
At first, it was understandably difficult for her but thanks to all the support and love she gets from all parts of her family, Kelsey didn't have as hard a time dealing with the divorce as she might have otherwise.
Kelsey had been a big sports fan ever since she was very young. She loved playing sports and it helped her stay grounded and have some stability at even the most tumultuous points of her life.
Her parents made a point of keeping her daily activities unchanged even after their separation.
Kelsey was also fortunate that her parents remained friends once they divorced. They actively maintained a good relationship for Kelsey's sake.
Her parents also had the same ideas about how to raise her which made for less conflict than could have been expected. They discussed how they felt she should be disciplined and agreed on various ground rules that they both would follow.
Every month Kelsey's parents agreed to take Kelsey to Lake Erie. Just the three of them, mom, dad, and Kelsey.
Many fond memories were formed at that lake when she was younger so her parents decided that it was a tradition worth keeping up even after the divorce.
Kelsey's dad met a new woman, a colleague at the fire station where he worked, not long after the divorce. They fell in love and Kelsey didn't mind.
She made her father happy and Kelsey had a very good relationship with her father's girlfriend.
Kelsey's dad and his girlfriend got married at a small ceremony at the local courthouse. They decided that they didn't want a huge or expensive ceremony.
Instead, they kept it small but still dressed for the occasion and Kelsey was only too happy for her father.
Schaffen’s new wife wouldn't be an issue between Kelsey's parents as long as she didn't interfere with their co-parenting efforts when it came to Kelsey.
Schaffen and Christin had already agreed on how to raise their daughter, and Kelsey's new step-mother had to be careful that her relationship with Kelsey's father wouldn't get in the way of that.
The rules and approach that Kelsey's parents had decided on would not change simply because a new step-mother was in the picture.
Kelsey had no problem with this arrangement and was just happy that her dad was happy!
Kelsey was lucky to share her life with some very strong women as her role-models. Aunt Kelly was always there for her and Kelsey considered her to be a second mother to her.
Then, there was her Godmother, Haylee Ann. Haylee Ann also played a very important role in Kelsey's life.
Both Haylee Ann and Aunt Kelly would always give Kelsey good advice and share their life experiences and perspectives.
Because Kelsey had such strong maternal figures in her life, she never felt threatened by her dad's new wife.
Kelsey's mom lived in Fostoria, Ohio, and she was lucky that her dad and step-mother lived there, too. Because they all lived close to one another, they had a special opportunity to make Kelsey's birthday an extra-special occasion!
All three players in this story played a huge part in the surprise that was about to unfold.
Although it is always difficult to choose that special gift for a girl of Kelsey's age, Kelsey's hobbies made the task even more challenging. You see, Kelsey wasn't like her peers and didn't enjoy things that other girls her age enjoyed.
Her parents had some difficulty choosing a practical gift.
But Kelsey just had one simple request. She didn't want anything too "girly." This meant no glitter and sparkles, and certainly nothing pink.
With Kelsey's request at the fore, her mother enlisted some help from her friends and family to find something that Kelsey would love.
Kelsey loved to play softball, but she already had all the equipment she required. She also enjoyed fishing with her cousins, but her mother didn't want to buy her more fishing gear -- after all, she already had everything she needed for fishing anyway!
But what could her mother buy her that she didn't have already?
There was one thing that Kelsey had wanted -- a Mia Hamm jersey. She had been asking for one for years now, but they were extremely expensive.
Christin knew that she just couldn't afford it right now -- she had to think of something that wouldn't break the bank.
As 12-year-olds do, Kelsey felt like her birthday was taking forever to arrive. She had been counting down the hours until she officially became a teenager.
To pass the time, she and her friends decided to search for some cool party ideas on the internet.
Christin could hardly believe that her daughter was growing up so fast... it seemed like yesterday when Kelsey was just a baby!
Had it really been 13 years ago? She truly understood how time had flown, and it seemed like her daughter was growing up right in front of her eyes.
Christin wanted to pick a very special gift to mark this very important milestone in her daughter's life.
Every other milestone before this one had always involved a surprise, but Christin also wanted to make this birthday even more special by letting her daughter choose what she wanted.
Like many young girls, Kelsey enjoys having makeovers with her friends. She was always excited whenever her family was invited to a wedding or other special occasion because it meant that she could dress up.
Christin knew that her daughter loved makeup -- after all, she was always borrowing hers. But when she asked Kelsey what she wanted for her birthday, she was surprised by the answer.
Kelsey replied, “Mom, I want to get highlights for my 13th birthday.” She was hoping that she could add that something extra to her naturally brown hair with a few blond highlights.
But how would her mother respond to her request?
It was a common enough request among the girls her age, but no mother is ever prepared for the day their little girl asks for a major makeover. Of course, Christin had some concerns.
Had Kelsey become insecure in her looks?
But, Christin couldn’t forget that she herself had been getting highlights long before Kelsey was born. Maybe her daughter was just influenced by her mother’s own actions.
She decided there was no real need to worry.
Christin was a little taken aback, although she made the offer for Kelsey to pick whatever she wanted, so she knew she could not refuse. Kelsey’s hair had darkened over the years, and people got highlights all of the time.
It was no big deal. Christin was a bit nervous, but luckily, she figured out exactly what needed to be done.
Christin didn’t just comply because it was Kelsey’s birthday, she also did because of her daughter’s actions. Kelsey has 3 younger brothers and she’s a great big sister to them.
She always helps out and serves as a great role model for the boys.
Christin decided to go all out and let Kelsey experience the royal treatment for her birthday.
The two of them did not know what to expect, so they decided to turn this exciting but nerve-wracking procedure into some mother-daughter time at the salon.
Good thing the local salon where Christin has been getting her hair done for years also offers manicures, pedicures, and massages. Kelsey was in for quite a big birthday treat!
Since Christin was a loyal customer, they also gave her a nice discount.
Mom and daughter ended up getting matching manicures and pedicures. What could be better!
Little did Kelsey know though, something else was about to happen, and she had no idea it was coming…
They waited for her transformation and hoped for the best. After spending a long yet relaxing day together, Christin showed Kelsey the mirror.
At long last, she could finally see the result. They were both in for quite a surprise…
Kelsey took a look at herself in the mirror and could not believe what she was seeing. The highlights changed the way she looked!
Even Christin could hardly recognize this girl. However, she had to say that she had never seen Kelsey look so beautiful with that smile on her face.
Christin had a surprise up her sleeves that Kelsey did not see coming. She wasn’t just getting her daughter’s hair and nails done…she was also going to get her makeup done!
Thought that was exciting enough? They were going to none other than makeup superstore, Sephora!
Christin snapped a photo of the apple of her eyes after all of the treatments and posted it on Facebook for all of their friends and family to see.
The two of them did not know how a certain someone reacted to it, but they remained blissfully ignorant at that time.
Kelsey was eager to go out and show off her new hairstyle to her friends, but she had to go to her dad’s place first.
He was also ready to shower his lovely daughter with love and gifts but knew he had to wait for his turn with her.
Christin was happy enough to send their darling over to her ex-husband, so they hopped into the car and drove over to Schaffen’s place. The plan was that Kelsey was going to stay at his home for the entire weekend.
It was only fair she split her time with both parents.
Whenever Kelsey spent some time with her father, she typically stopped using her phone. Since she split time between her mom and dad, she always made sure to make the most of her time with each parent.
Christin had no reason to hear from the teenager. But she woke up that morning with the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.
Christin tried to convince herself not to worry, but a mother’s instinct is always best, right? The minutes slowly ticked, but today was finally the day Kelsey would be coming back to her mom’s house.
She wondered how her daughter was enjoying her new do!
When Kelsey finally rang the doorbell several days later, something odd had happened. Christin did not even realize the girl ringing the doorbell was actually her daughter!
Kelsey’s face was not only swollen and puffy from crying, but something else was off. What could it be?
A million things raced through Christin’s mind. Was Kelsey hurt? Had she gotten into an argument with her new step-mom?
Did something happen to her dad? Maybe she spent some time at the firehouse because Schaffen had to work over the weekend? Christin knew it wasn’t her daughter’s favorite place but was that a reason for all of the tears?
Then Christin did a double-take and saw that something was up with Kelsey’s hair. It looked completely different than it did when Schaffen had picked her up just a few days earlier.
What had happened to their daughter?
Not only were the expensive highlights gone, but Kelsey’s beautiful long locks disappeared as well! Had Kelsey had second thoughts about her new look and decided to get rid of it all?
Christin was shocked, she couldn’t even move or breathe.
Her locks were clearly butchered away sometime during the weekend.
A professional hairstylist commented saying, “what they did to that poor child, it’s a “chop off”, it’s a boyish cut with no styling whatsoever”.
It did not make things easier that Kelsey was cupping her face in her hands and refusing to show her face. Clearly, the young girl was humiliated by what happened.
Christin couldn’t believe it and didn’t know what had happened or where to go from here…
In just a couple of moments, she went from feeling like the most beautiful and confident she had ever been to getting her hair chopped off on her birthday. Kelsey could not stand to look in the mirror.
Her self-esteem clearly took a beating after the ordeal she went through. Christin knew she had to get to the bottom of this.
Since Christin could not get her daughter to talk about it, she got in the car and drove to Schaffen’s place. Christin was fuming the entire car ride.
She couldn’t believe the man she once loved would treat their sweet daughter in such a manner. On her birthday no less!
When she arrived at their house, she sprinted up to the door and screamed at her ex and his fiancé Sarah, asking why they let that happen to her daughter. Moreover, why didn’t they get in touch with her?
Christin was so mad she couldn’t even think clearly.
Apparently, they could not stand her new hairstyle and punished her for it. They thought the highlights were too precarious for her age.
According to them, “actions have consequences”.
Little did Schaffen and Sarah know, Christin was about to show them how true this was. Christin went to the police.
The chief commented saying, “the mother was upset at how her child was being cared for. The haircut was done against the child’s wishes under the direction of the girl’s father and stepmother”.
Her smiling little girl was smiling no more. She couldn’t stand to see her sweet daughter in such a state.
She also couldn’t believe her ex didn’t like it. It was simple blonde highlights, not blue hair!
She was beyond her wit’s end, so she decided to take out her frustration by shaming her ex-husband online.
That was why she went on social media to give him a taste of the humiliation.
Christin wanted him to feel the pain he decided to inflict on a young and sensitive person on her birthday no less.
She hoped by posting it online, Schaffen and Sarah would see how much pain their actions caused Kelsey.
However, it was not Christin’s intention to make a viral post. She just wanted her family and friends to validate that Schaffen behaved unreasonably…in all likelihood, it was her way to blow off some steam as well.
However, the photos ended up doing more than that…
What she didn’t expect was the number of people it reached in such a short amount of time.
When people around the country found out just how extreme his reaction was about something as trivial as highlights, they spoke out.
Can you believe that people shared it 24,000 times and it received 33,000 reactions in only a week? The online users did not hold back at all from talking about how they felt about the incident.
Here is one response in particular.
For Kelsey, the replies to her mother’s post and the questions at school were overwhelming.The attention all became a little too much.
This is only understandable, in the end, she is only 13 years old.
Well, Christin definitely received all the support she initially wanted and then some. This was more than she bargained for.
People she did not know started calling what Schaffen and his partner did “ridiculous” and “disgusting”.
Another stranger left this comment: “What a cruel thing for a parent to do to their child.
So sorry that happened…beautiful no matter what!” Meanwhile, Kelsey was not prepared to have both her face and newly butchered hair make rounds on the internet.
She was also not ready to show her face in the hallways at school. The haircut was bad enough, but now all of this attention since the Facebook post?
No way. How is a middle schooler supposed to deal with all of that?
While her younger brothers were enjoying school, and her dad and step-mom went about their daily routines, Kelsey was hurting inside. She felt betrayed, humiliated and angry at what they did.
They acted as if nothing had happened.
It was not at all unexpected that the people who heard about the story would feel critical about what Schaffen did. However, some of these strangers thought there was a bigger issue than an impulsive and controlling father.
What was the problem?
This was what one commenter had to say: “I think the daughter was unfortunately in the middle of a get back at you between both parents fighting.” Could it be true that Christin actually upset him on purpose?
We cannot say for certain, but there were more speculations to come…
Pear Tree Salon hair stylist of 27 years, Jennifer McVay commented on the incident. “Your hair is what really makes you feel good.
If your hair looks good, you feel good. She had beautiful long hair, that beautiful little girl is now walking around embarrassed”.
She also said, “Another person, aside from the father, is at fault. The one holding the scissors.
But, back to the father, why would they want to humiliate their daughter that way? That was crossing a fine line”.
People who have children of their own had mixed feelings about Kelsey’s highlights after hearing what happened. It was fairly easy to see that others thought they would also be upset if their daughter got a makeover without telling them.
Of course, this did not mean they excused the way the father reacted.
Many people said 13 was too young to start putting dyes on her hair. They thought Halloween was the time for this but by using wigs and wash-out hairspray. On the other hand, others said it was not a problem because it was only temporary.
However, the chopped hair raised other concerns. This was the thing that made people feel unsettled.
It was a good thing that these internet people knew how the young girl must have felt. Although Christin was receiving comments that talked badly about Schaffen, some of the strangers started to address Kristin since they felt sympathy for her. Some complimented her, others suggested different things she could do with her hair and shared other heartwarming sentiments.
She took comfort in their kindness. Kelsey could not understand how these people could possibly understand her better than her father did.
When the story got too much attention online, Christin realized she could use the clout to make things easier for the family. Since there were so many individuals reading and then sharing it, she thought it would be a great idea to launch a fundraiser that will help pay for her daughter’s new hair treatment.
She created an account on GoFundMe to put more attention on the situation and asked readers to donate money to help make things right for the birthday girl. At that time, they did not know if this would work.
Christin was surprised by the attention people paid the story, so she tried to update the page with events and other things happening in her daughter’s life.
Kelsey and her emotions were all over the place, and who could blame her after what she went through?
At the very least, she was starting to do things she enjoyed and no longer hid her face.
Christin enjoyed doing these updates and showing everyone how Kelsey was doing, regardless of their stance on the situation, just how good a kid her daughter was.
People could see the young girl playing softball and going on fishing trips with her cousins. The whole time, she was sporting the hairdo she did not ask for nor wanted.
All she could do was live her life and move on.
People began to understand Kelsey more and drew inspiration from the way she handled the situation. Her team also always had her back, which definitely helped.
However, there was more drama that was about to go down without Kelsey or Christin knowing about it. They only realized how much the situation escalated when someone paid them a visit.
Some of the people who got wind of the story apparently thought there was parental abuse involved! Now that authorities were in the mix, Fox8 interviewed Police Chief Colby Carroll.
What would he say?
They broadcasted the way Kelsey got a forced hair cut from her father and his new wife as punishment.
“I’ve been doing this since ’92 and I’ve never had a case I would say that’s like this,” said the police officer.
It did not a long time before the authorities knocked on Schaffen’s door. They received suspensions from their firefighting duties at the Middletown Township fire department.
During this time, they were placed on “administrative leave”. They did not want people like that working for them.
There was an investigation, which ended in the local judges determining that the couple needed to pay a price as well. People argued some more if the punishment was too much for what they did.
Others argued that it was definitely a criminal offense.
But hey, do not forget what they said about actions and consequences!
Even though the investigation was done, the family drama was not over yet…What was next for Schaffen and Sarah?
The authorities granted Christin full custody of their daughter.
Christin took to Facebook to post this: “After 5 hours of testimony and ‘evidence’ provided by both parties, the magistrate’s decision was for Kelsey to live with mom and her siblings!”
She continued, “A huge weight has been lifted off of everyone’s shoulders and we cannot be any [happier]!!” Although Christin and Kelsey were both happy and relieved about how it turned out, Kelsey had to pay a rather big sacrifice.
Kelsey did not have the chance to get her belongings from Schaffen’s house before she was legally removed from the place. In all honesty, she did not feel eager to come to get her things because that meant she would have to see her father and his wife.
However, it still meant that she had no choice but to surrender many things dear to her. To make up for this situation, Aunt Kelly created an account on GoFundMe to raise money so that Kelsey could live a normal life once more.
While every member of the family would agree that they managed to get the best outcome possible, it still did not make the situation any less painful for Christin and Kelsey.
After all, their relationship with Schaffen completely changed for the worse without so much as a warning.
It certainly helped when their followers, such as Tatum Mathis, took the time to write their sympathies. Luckily, things were about to get much better from that point on.
What do we mean exactly? Read on.
It took a pretty short time before the audience decided to show their support for the young girl by donating their hard-earned money. Aunt Kelly only had a target of a thousand bucks, but they go to nearly double that amount without any problems!
No one could have predicted what happened next – an anonymous person made a contribution of $2,000 in one go, effectively bringing the total to $3,543! Now, the next question is this: what should they do with these donations from generous strangers?
It was not hard at all to find the answer to that question. They went back to the salon to get her hair fixed before they do anything else.
They chose the Lady Jane salon, but the staff apparently knew about the situation already.
As a matter of fact, her godmother Haylee Ann already dropped by ahead of time to make sure she gets a nice surprise. Kelsey was greeted by a welcome committee as soon as she got there!
How exciting for the 13-year-old!
Back at the salon, the staff was already anticipating the arrival of the young girl. They were prepared to make magic happen yet again.
Everyone knew how much strength the young girl displayed despite the trauma she underwent. They did all that they could to make Kelsey one happy girl.
They asked her what she wanted because everything was possible now. Haylee Ann was also present in a show of support, which gave Kelsey more courage to do what she wanted. She listened to the advice they had and agreed to another huge change.
What could it be? Maybe she dyed it or got extensions?
She knew she had to wait before her natural roots grew back, which is why Kelsey decided to get a wig for now. She liked the choices the salon offered and was happy with the end result.
It nearly made up for what went wrong in the first place!
Kelsey’s mom was so grateful after hoping hard that Kelsey would feel more like herself once more. She said, “I’d like to thank the ladies…for making my baby feel more like herself!” she said.
“We truly appreciate you ladies so much!” Her daughter’s smile was finally back!
Christin was aware that she could not have pulled this off without Haylee Ann. There was no way the salon could have known what to do if her friend were not there.
She was the one who ensured that the fundraiser would go well and never failed to show her support for the mother and daughter, especially when things were going badly with Schaffen. After posing for photos on Salon Day #2 with all these lovely women, no one could have predicted there were more surprises in store for them.
The happily ever after of this story succeeded in warming the hearts of the people who kept up with the story. Surprisingly, more and more people tuned in.
Who would have thought that the traumatic ordeal could bring out generosity and sympathy in other people?
Several months later, the post earned nearly five thousand likes and hundreds of comments and shares. One commenter even said, “You’re beautiful!” We definitely agree with that assessment!
We’re so happy so many strong women came together and brought Kelsey the justice she deserved!
Although we know that Kelsey was not happy with her botched hair job, she left the salon looking way better than some people do.
Let’s just say her chop off was an A+ compared to these botched jobs…
If Bose headphones are out of your price range, why not just get a haircut like this guy? He only spent a few bucks and around 20 minutes at the barber instead of a whopping $250.
He seems like he knows how to save some money.
Poor little Kevin decided to go with his dad to the barber that warm Saturday in April. Little did he know, his barber and his father had a little prank up their sleeves.
It’s safe to say that Kevin was less than thrilled when he was given a style to mirror his dad’s receding hairline.
This is one unique haircut, so different in fact we don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like it. The attention to detail in this buzz-cut is something only the most talented can achieve.
Check out those long whiskers!
We’re not sure what this young guy was thinking when he walked into his town’s barbershop that day, or if he was thinking at all. The top of his head looks something like a whirlpool and on the front and back of his head he has these weird braids….
we’re not even going to ask.
What can one do when you’re in a shaven-head biker group, but still want to look pretty on the weekends. This guy decided to go with a little patch of hair on his head cut to look like a bowtie.
Whatever makes him feel good…right?
If this haircut looks a bit familiar, it should, you probably have looked at it once already today. It’s the poop emoji of course!
Whatever made this fella get a cut mirroring something so vile, we have no answer for.
We hope this look was on purpose, and this guy didn’t just happen to get hit with some crazy strong static electricity that said day.
Although this scenario is likely, our best guess is that he used lots of gel and hairspray to achieve this look.
We all know Miley Cyrus has sported some wild hairstyles in recent years, but this one has to win the cake. The spiked look together with the bleached blonde tips is hard for us to look at for more than 3 seconds.
Rocker girl, for sure!
If tennis is your favorite sport, it only makes sense you get a haircut that makes your head look like a tennis ball…right? No, no, no.
Everything about this hair-do is so wrong. We hope that color dye wasn’t permanent!
Although Oreos are many peoples cookie of choice, not many would get the logo and color scheme plastered on their hair.
Either this woman loves the said sweet treat, or she’s just signed on as the brand’s walking advertisement.
Normal every-day citizens aren’t the only ones who get crazy hairstyles, celebrities do too!
Ariel Winter from Modern Family decided to color her hair a bold pink for a recent music festival.
This masterpiece has us asking all sorts of questions, the first being: how many bottles of gel and hairspray did he use? Our guess is a whole lot!
He definitely achieved the Noah’s Ark look…it’s quite the boat he has under there!
When you’re a big fan of the Smurf’s, you may get your hair dyed to look just like them. This girl is obsessed with the said films, so she did just that.
We think she missed the top, or maybe that’s the style these days?
Carl wears a hat every day, it’s sort of a staple of his. He decided to try out a new look and get his hair cut in the shape of a hat.
The result is insanely accurate! Just look at the long brim and all…the sun has nothing on him!
Showing support for your favorite presidential candidate is imperative if you want them to win the race. This man was a huge Hillary fan, and he wanted all of the world to know it.
Although she didn’t win, he sure did with this hair cut.
When in doubt…attach a zipper? She couldn’t quite figure out how to style her hair for the wedding, so she decided to do something a bit out-of-the-box.
Oh, do we wish she left that zipper out of her hair, and in the craft store where it belongs!
This woman’s boyfriend is a pilot, so she decided to surprise him for his birthday with this special jet-settin’ do! She has the tail, along with the top of the helicopter.
Can you believe that it even spins?!
We’re guessing this was a bet gone wrong, and this guy was the loser.
This would definitely scare the little ones, and we bet it would creep out some adults as well!
This woman tried really hard to get on board with the healthy-eating movement, and what better way than to literally attach vegetables to your head? Not real carrots of course, but ones made of hair and colored orange!!
Oh, dear…