After Chelsea picked her son up from his playgroup, she got a message from another mother, whom we will call "Karen."
Her text read, "The other day at playgroup, I was a bit… Unimpressed with what your son was wearing." She wasn't happy about her son's outfit.
She Didn't Like His Shirt
Chelsea was confused. “It was just demeaning to boys, don’t you think?” Karen further said.
Chelsea replied to her saying, "I literally have no idea what you're on about." She couldn't understand why she would try to pick a fight with her over her son's shirt.
Her Daughter Was Offended Too
Karen further explained, "Well, I found it incredibly rude, and so did my daughter."
Chelsea thought it was strange. Why didn't she mention anything at the playdate if she found the shirt to be so offensive? Also, her daughter was only two-years-old. She couldn't even read yet!
"He Can't Wear That Again"
But it didn't stop there. "That isn't the point! He can't wear that shirt to the group again!" she said.
"I’m sure the other moms will have an issue with this too! I know for a fact that Susan said she didn’t like it either." But Chelsea knew for a fact that wasn't true.
She Was Lying
Karen told her that Susan disapproved of her son's shirt as well, which was a lie. She had actually asked Chelsea earlier where she could buy one for her child.
"Yeah, ok, that's why she asked where I bought it so she could buy one for her son?"
Almost Everyone Was Fine With It
But, Karen was determined to get her point across. In her next message, she said, "You can’t let him wear it to the group again! Or we won’t be setting up playdates for my daughter and him anymore!"
Confused, Chelsea messaged the other moms and asked what they thought of her son's shirt. Most of them said that it was fine, except for one lady.
"Haters Gonna Play"
Bethany took Karen's side and agreed that her son's shirt was too much. But what was so offensive about it in the first place?
Chelsea's son was wearing a shirt that read, "Players gonna play." For an adult, this might have some meaning reminiscent of misbehavior, but with the context of a little child wearing it, it doesn't mean anything. But, Karen held a different opinion.
Her Son Was Upset
This incident affected her son, who couldn't understand why he was no longer allowed to play with his friends.
But Chelsea wasn't just going to let it slide and called some of her friends for help.
She Asked For Help
Chelsea messaged the other mothers who had children in the same playgroup as her son and asked them what she should do.
Most of them agreed that her son should be allowed to join the playgroup but warned her that Karen wouldn't give up without a fight. Her argument didn't hurt Chelsea's feelings much, but what bothered her the most was that Karen tried to push her personal preferences on her.
She Wrote Her A Message
So, Chelsea decided to share her feelings with Karen. "Honestly, I couldn't care less that my son can't play with your daughter," she wrote.
"You're very inhospitable hosts anyway, you're too stingy." She wanted Karen to know that what she did wasn't right. Chelsea also remembered all the times when she and her son were treated horribly at her place.
They Didn't Treat Them Well
"You're too stingy to even let my son drink some of your homogenized milk when we come over, you rarely let him or I snack, and you hate to pay for things when we meet up outside," she continued.
"And you've let your daughter pinch him before too because he wouldn't share, but you never cared if she didn't. I don't think this is a healthy relationship for him or for me." Once Chelsea sent the message, she felt relieved, but not for long.
They Didn't Take Her Side
She finished her text saying, "And just for the record, my son will wear whatever I want him to. Don't come to the group if you're so offended."
Karen tried to get the other moms on her side, but they didn't fall for it. They messaged Chelsea to get her side of the story, and she provided them with screenshots of her conversation with Karen.
She Was Jealous
Some mothers believed that Karen was jealous of the other women because their husbands worked fewer hours and spent more time with their children.
They figured she was jealous of the free time that the other mothers had.
A Stay-At-Home Mom
Karen's husband worked a twelve-hour shift, so she spent most of her time at home with her daughter.
However, Chelsea disagreed because she believed she had no reason to take her anger out on them.
They Never Saw Her Again
After the incident, Karen stopped bringing her child to the playgroup and cut off ties with the other mothers, including Chelsea.
Karen never apologized or tried to make things right, either.