Mom Says Her Daughter Gets 'Picked On' In Kindergarten For Having A Knock-Off Stanley Cup
When did a cup start determining social cliques in kindergarten?
Maximillian100 / Shutterstock While Stanley cups may be one of the best creations for those who love cold drinks on the go, they are starting to become elementary and middle school students' worst nightmares.
Stanley cups are the latest hot item, and if you are seen without one or with an off-brand cup, you must be a loser. At least, that’s what children seem to think nowadays.
One mother revealed that her kindergarten-aged daughter was ‘picked on’ by her classmates for having a knock-off brand Stanley.
Sharing her frustrations to the subreddit r/Parenting, the mother revealed that her daughter has always been a “girly girl.”
“She will sneak my small purses and take them to school; tried to sneak my Stanley once,” she wrote.
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To avoid her daughter taking her Stanley to school again and possibly losing or damaging it, the woman bought an off-brand Stanley for her to take to school, believing that the kids wouldn't even recognize the difference.
However, the mother was unfortunately mistaken, and now her daughter was being bullied for not having a “real” Stanley.
“She said now they pick on her at school saying she has a ‘Steven’ not a ‘Stanley,’” the woman wrote. “Like, oh my god, I remember these days, but in KINDERGARTEN??!!”
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Others were in disbelief that a kindergartener would be bullied over such a thing.
“Wow, that's grim at that age,” one Redditor commented.
“In KINDERGARTEN?!? That’s embarrassing for those kids' parents if they are acting that way. I’d speak to her teacher and don’t give in,” another user wrote.
“This is the result of kids having access to social media at way too young of an age,” another user noted.
Others urged the mother to use the opportunity as a teaching moment, telling her daughter that her classmates' fixation on material items was not healthy.
Most adults are understandably mortified that kids as young as kindergarten are facing bullying and social cliques. Many of them may be asking themselves how this even started happening at such a young age.
Believe it or not, the behavior of other parents is likely the culprit.
When Stanley cups first hit the shelves at Target, we saw the horrifying video footage on social media that looked like a scene straight out of “The Hunger Games.”
Grown women were clawing at one another and nearly trampling everyone in their path just to bring home a Stanley Cup.
Some of them would even have their children with them, watching their every move, and even if they did not, many kids have seen the videos circulating on social media.
Seeing grown adults bully one another over a cup has only taught children that they should do the same thing. Many of them mimic what they’ve been shown, thinking that if adults are doing something, then it must be appropriate.
If we want our children to stop tormenting each other over a metal cup (that is a hassle to lug around school anyway), then we as adults should stop doing it ourselves.
An ordinary water bottle will do just fine, won’t break the bank, and will certainly not stir up any bullying.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.