In grade school, there is a lot of excitement surrounding invitations for birthday parties.
Nothing beats receiving a paper card in the mail promising a day of fun.
At some schools, they only allow you to pass out invitations on campus if everyone in the class is invited. Of course, the goal here is to prevent kids from feeling excluded from the guest list.
Chances are, you've had an invitation to a party get "lost in the mail," and it didn't feel great. Usually, it's nothing personal and you can move on with your life.
But then there are times when it is personal — and heartbreaking.
When 6-year-old Reilly, who is autistic, wasn't invited to a single birthday party by people his parents considered to be friends, his dad had something to say.
Mom Christine describes her 6-year-old son Reilly as "non-verbal, super cute & autistic" on her blog, The Life of Reilly.
Christine's husband, Shane, was at the end of his rope when he decided to pen this post to his friends who had let him down.
Christine shared Shane's words on Twitter:
Right this has been brewing for some time so here it goes and you can like it or f**king well lump it.
My son Reilly has autism not f**cking leprosy; he is 6 years old and my so called friends who have kids also have kids parties.
Not ONE invite not f**cking one. Think about that whilst you go and f**k yoursleves; have you any idea how hurtful that is?
Just for the record in the future don’t bother he’s not an afterthought he’s my every f**cking thought.
Shane may have been able to get his message across without the F-bombs, but you can tell just how upset he is by this treatment from people who he thought were his friends.
Even though Shane's friends aren't being supportive, plenty of people who read his words could relate to his struggles and have stepped up instead.
One user shared:
My two and 1/2 year is currently undergoing tests to see where on the spectrum he is. The thought of him having no friends breaks my heart. Like your husband says, he is my every thought and truly my best friend.
Another reader agreed:
Yes it was moving and I identified with it as well. My children were often excluded from parties. I also felt excluded myself; particularly at the school gate. It was a painful experience. I wish non
#SEND families would think a bit more about how their behaviour hurts.
And plenty of people had kinds words for the job Shane did defending his son:
Keep him, don’t let him go. What a loving father, and amazing man.
I think we can all agree that Reilly is lucky to have a father who loves him so much.
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