Meet Kayla
When Kayla’s dad decided to let her pick her own outfit for picture day, he never expected things to go so wrong.
Three-year-old Kayla adored superheroes, so it came as no surprise when she decided to dress as one for picture day.
But that very morning, the school called her father and demanded he pick her up. Their reason was unacceptable.
She’d Seen A Lot
Kayla was only three years old, but she had gone through a lot in her short life. Because of what she had experienced, she was a little different than the other girls her age.
However, that didn’t mean she didn’t love the life she was given.
Even though she had every reason to be sad, she stood up and became a hero in her own right. But that changed when picture day came.
Raised By A Single Dad
Kayla had spent most of her life being raised by her dad, Dan.
He was a single parent who tried his best to give his precious daughter everything her heart desired.
Some might say that he was spoiling her by doing that. But Dan did it to compensate for the one thing she lost and would never get back.
The Tragic Accident That Changed Everything
You see, Kayla’s mom died in a tragic accident when the little girl was a year old, and the loss left a big hole in their lives.
Kayla was too young to understand what happened that dreadful night, but her overwhelming sadness filled the house a few days later when her mom still hadn’t come home.
Her Love For Superheroes
Her grief went on for months, but then one day, everything changed. On that night, she was watching Wonder Woman with her dad, and she became obsessed with the superhero.
But it wasn’t just Wonder Woman, though.
Kayla loved all superheroes, and Dan assumed it was because she wished she could be one. If she were, she’d be able to save her mom.
It Was A Big Week
This was a big week for Kayla as her class photos were being taken at school.
Dan wanted the day to be perfect for his little girl and picked out a few outfits he thought she might like.
But something didn’t seem right that day. Kayla was in a bit of a mood and didn’t seem to be happy with anything.
Unhappy With The Choices
Being the good daughter that she was, she tried on every single outfit that her father picked out, but Kayla didn’t seem pleased with any of them.
It wasn’t that she didn’t like the outfits. She had worn them all before.
But it was her first class photo, and she wanted it to be spectacular.
Dad Got An Idea
Seeing how unhappy his daughter was, Dan decided that it would be best for him to let Kayla choose her own outfit.
But nothing in her cupboard seemed to do the trick.
That was when Dan came up with a fantastic idea. He would take his little girl shopping and let her buy whatever she wanted.
A Shopping Trip
Dan had some money saved up and decided to turn the trip into a day’s worth of adventure in the biggest shopping mall in the city.
Whatever his daughter wanted would be bought.
You might think it’s a bit over the top, but she was only three, and there are only a few things young hearts desire.
Fun-Filled Day
Early Saturday morning, Kayla was out of bed and ready to go. She practically shoved her breakfast into her mouth, and before long, father and daughter were heading out the door.
The mall was about an hour from their home, and they arrived just as the shops were opening up.
It was an early start, and Dan was sure Kayla would be exhausted when they got home. But it was nice to see her so happy.
The Perfect Outfit
They strolled through the shops for hours, and when they sat down for lunch, Kayla finally told Dan what outfit she had been searching for.
She wanted to be dressed as Wonder Woman.
Dan laughed, surprised that he didn’t think of it sooner. And by the fact he actually knew exactly where to get the outfit Kayla was looking for.
It Was Cute
After lunch, he led Kayla to the store where she would find the outfit, and she immediately tried it on. Dan had to admit that she looked adorable as a little superhero.
He didn’t think twice about buying his daughter the outfit, as the kindergarten she was attending, usually didn’t have issues with the kids dressing up.
But this time, they would, and their remarks were not to be taken lightly.
Getting Some Accessories
Seeing as Kayla had the outfit she wanted, Dan took her around to get some accessories to complete the look. She still needed the tiara, arm cuff, and boots.
A few hours later, the pair had everything they needed to make the outfit look like the real deal, and they headed home.
Little did they know that something so innocent would cause such a fuss.
The Big Day
On picture day, Kayla got ready.
She put on her outfit and her skin-colored tights, and her dad walked her to school.
It seemed like an ordinary day at first, but just as Dan was about to start working, he received a phone call that had him rushing out of the house.
A Very Rude Call
Dan sat down in front of his laptop and was preparing for his first meeting when his phone rang.
He saw that it was the school calling and immediately answered, thinking that something might’ve happened to his precious daughter.
But he was in for a surprise, as the woman on the other end of the line accused him of being a bad parent and demanded that he come pick his daughter up immediately.
Heading To The School
Dan didn’t waste any time rushing to his car and getting on the road, but he still had no idea what was going on.
Instead of explaining the situation, the woman who called him preferred to insult him and wouldn’t let him get a word out.
He tried to ask what was going on, but instead of getting a decent response, she just kept spewing nonsense.
He Couldn’t Believe His Ears
When Dan arrived at the kindergarten, he was escorted to the principal’s office, where he saw his daughter sitting in the corner and crying her eyes out.
Fury engulfed him in an instant, and he wanted nothing more than to make the responsible person pay.
He was about to ask what happened when Kayla’s teacher burst into the room and started accusing him. Then she said something that made his fury double.
Outrageous Accusations
Kayla’s teacher accused Dan of forcing his daughter to wear something that no child should ever be seen wearing. She also accused him of being a bad father who had some sick obsession with half-naked women.
By this point, Dan was seeing red. He demanded an explanation, and the one he got infuriated him even more.
The teacher said that he had let his daughter come to school half-naked and that they would not be taking pictures of a child dressed in such a way.
Stream Of Tears
Dan pushed past the woman and lifted the crying toddler into his arms.
She was becoming more hysterical with each word the teacher spoke, and that did nothing to help her father calm down.
Dan was about to lash out when the principal intervened and asked the teacher to explain herself in a calm, professional manner. What she said was laughable.
Trying To Fix The Issue
Calming himself as much as he could, Dan explained that his daughter wasn’t half-naked as the teacher suggested.
She was, in fact, wearing thick, flesh-colored tights, and the only skin that was visible was that of her shoulders.
He also stated that Kayla had picked the outfit herself as she loved the superhero and that shops wouldn’t sell the costume if it was as bad as the teacher made it sound. But the debate was just beginning.
Running Into A Wall
When the teacher realized that she had walked into a trap and that her assumptions were completely out of line, she tried her best to cover her tracks.
Having nothing to go on, the teacher then stated that it was against the kindergartner’s dress code for Kayla to wear something that exposed her shoulders.
Dan was taken aback, as such a rule simply didn’t make sense. Were children expected to wear sweaters on hot days?
Sad Trip
The principal agreed with the teacher, stating that even though it didn’t make much sense, those were the rules, and Kayla was obviously going against the dress code by having her shoulders exposed.
Dan knew they were just trying to prove they were right, so he took his daughter and left.
But his little girl was whimpering in the back seat. She was clearly still upset about what happened, and Dan wasn’t going to stand for it.
Too Young To Understand
He knew Kayla was too young to understand what was really happening.
And he could understand that she must’ve been mortified by her teacher’s shouting.
Plus, he had no idea what the teacher had said to his daughter before he arrived, and with the rate at which she was throwing accusations around, it could’ve been anything.
Determined To Fix It
But Dan knew that he wasn’t a bad father, and he was determined to make his daughter forget about everything she had heard that day. He just didn’t know how to do it.
Would an ice cream help? Maybe a new doll?
As he was considering it, an idea struck him. He whirled the car around and went the other way.
Detour
“Where are we going, daddy?” Kayla asked through her tears. Dan didn’t say anything but responded with a loving smile.
They arrived at the mall, and he took his daughter to the closest photo studio, where they took a ton of pictures of the cute little girl being the superhero she always wanted to be.
They even did some editing to add some extra oomph and make Kayla feel special.
Later That Night
Even though Dan managed to save the day, he wasn’t ready to let the kindergarten get away with what they had done.
As his daughter went to sleep, he turned to social media and posted his story as well as the pictures they took online.
He asked the public, “Do you think this makes me a bad father? Was it wrong of me to let her pick her own outfit?”
Responses Pour In
In a matter of hours, he had an inbox full of responses. Everyone was being supportive, but there were some who took things to the next level.
“You should sue them,” one commenter wrote. “That is blatant discrimination!” another said.
Dan didn’t plan on taking the kindergarten to court, as he had no evidence. But the responses did give him an idea about how he could get revenge.
His Plan
Dan knew that talking to the school was like running face-first into a brick wall, but that was because he was only one man.
If they were a majority…
With that thought in mind, he turned to the internet once more and asked for their assistance in resolving the matter. The majority of the people who saw his post agreed.
Step 1
The first step in their plan was to come together and create a petition. Dan, as well as many of the other parents in his neighborhood who had children attending the kindergarten, started a petition about what should be allowed on picture day and how parents should be treated by school personnel.
They then posted the petition on Dan’s Facebook page and hoped they would get enough signatures to force the kindergarten to change its policies.
But they never expected it to blow up the way it did.
It Blew Up
Within a week, the petition had over a million signatures, and the kindergarten was forced to change the dress code. The principal and teacher were removed from their positions because of their behavior, and a public apology was made to Dan and Kayla.
But it didn’t end there. Dan, as well as a few of his neighbors, pulled their children from the kindergarten and enrolled them in a new one. This time, they made sure their children were allowed to dress up like any superhero they wanted to be.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.
